Adiposity, Adipokines, and Risk of Incident Stroke in Older Men

AHA: 11/27/12

Background and Purpose—The association between adiposity and adipocytes and risk of stroke in older adults is uncertain. We have examined the association between adiposity measures and adipocytes (adiponectin and leptin) with incident stroke events in older men.

Methods—Prospective study of 3411 men aged 60 to 79 years with no previous diagnosis of myocardial infarction, heart failure, or stroke followed-up for an average of 9 years, during which there were 192 incident major stroke events.

Results—In age-adjusted analyses, body mass index and waist circumference were not significantly associated with risk of stroke in older men, although obese men (body mass index >30 kg/m²) showed the lowest risk of stroke. Despite the strong positive correlation between leptin and body mass index and waist circumference, risk of stroke was significantly increased in those in the top quartile of the leptin distribution.  Read more