Heart attacks over 20 years over 20 years, but rising BMIs may reverse trend, UK study finds
Thursday, June 9, 2011 - 15:30
in Health & Medicine
Better control of cholesterol levels and blood pressure and a decline in smoking have contributed to a 74 percent drop in the risk of heart attack among 10,000 London civil servants over a 20-year period, according to new research. However, the reduction would have been even greater were it not for the fact that more people became fatter during this time; the rise in body mass index accounted for an estimated 11 percent increased risk of heart attack.