BMI could help predict type-2 diabetic patients' heart disease risk

Researchers have discovered a simple way to further predict a diabetic patient's risk for heart disease

The Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute researchers measured coronary artery plaque buildup in study participants, they discovered that a major controllable predictor of heart disease was BMI. Simply put: the greater the patient's BMI, the greater their risk for heart disease.

Lead researcher Brent Muhlestein, MD, and co-director of cardiovascular research at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Murray, Utah, said that their study shows there's a strong linear relationship between BMI and plaque volume and composition, asserting that even being a little overweight is associated with more plaque, while being obese is associated with a lot of plaque.