Obesity has a greater impact on cardiovascular mortality in younger men than in older men among non-smoking Koreans

Introduction We investigated the effects of age on the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular mortality in non-smoking Korean men. Methods We performed a prospective cohort study of 246 146 non-smoking Korean men aged 20-69 years at baseline (1992) who were initially without history of cancer or weight change. The associations between BMI and cardiovascular risk factors and mortality during an 9-year follow-up period (2000) were stratified by age group after adjustment for family history, alcohol consumption, exercise habits, and economic status. Results Calculations of odds ratios (ORs) revealed that younger men (< 40 years) with greater BMI (>= 28 kg/m(2)) were at greater risk of high blood pressure, high blood glucose, and high total cholesterol than older men. The ORs for cardiovascular risk factors associated with greater BMI declined linearly with age. The relative risks for mortality from stroke and from all cardiovascular diseases associated with greater BMI were also higher among younger men and declined linearly with age. Conclusions The cardiovascular risk factors and mortality associated with greater BMI were higher among younger than older non-smoking Korean men. These findings indicate that obesity has a greater impact among younger men with respect to premature cardiovascular related deaths.