Carrying extra weight makes it more likely you'll have a heart attack or stroke because it pushes up your blood pressure, messes up your cholesterol, and causes body-wide inflammation.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
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Causal relationship of excess body weight on cardiovascular events through risk factors
This study found that people with extra body weight are more likely to have heart attacks or strokes because their weight leads to high blood pressure and diabetes, which are known to harm the heart and blood vessels.
Contradicting (1)
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The Prevalence and Outcome of Excess Body Weight Among Middle Eastern Patients Presenting With Acute Coronary Syndrome
This study looked at people who already had a heart attack and found that being overweight didn’t make them more likely to die or have another stroke in the hospital — even though they often had high blood pressure and bad cholesterol. That goes against the idea that being overweight causes more heart attacks and strokes.
Gold Standard Evidence Needed
According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.