Body mass index and mortality: A twelve-year prospective study in Korea

The relation between body mass index (kg/m(2)) and noncoronary mortality is not well established. To study this relation, a population with low corona ry mortality may be especially useful. We conducted a 12-year follow-up stu dy of 235,398 Korean men 40-64 years of age. Study subjects had undergone h ealth examinations in 1986 (baseline) and 1990. We excluded subjects with s ubstantial weight loss during this period. There were 13,387 deaths, includ ing 600 deaths from coronary events, between 1990 and 1998. We estimated th e relation of body mass index to the risk of death after adjusting for comm on risk factors. There was a positive relation between body mass index and coronary mortality, but this relation was attenuated after serum total chol esterol, blood pressure, and fasting serum glucose were taken into account. A J-shaped relation with cerebrovascular mortality was also attenuated alt er adjustment. Even after this adjustment and exclusion of early deaths bet ween 1990 and 1994, the relation of body mass index to all-cause (U shaped) , cancer (J-shaped), and noncancer noncoronary noncerebrovascular (inverse J-shaped) mortality remained. Both high and low body mass index were relate d to increased mortality among these Korean men.