Cancer isn't the only serious health problem worsened by the presence of obesity. The more pounds you pack on, the more you elevate your risk of stroke, a problem that occurs across race and gender lines, and regardless what unit of measure (waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio or BMI) is used, according to a new study.

Over the course of the 19-year study, researchers tracked the health of some 13,500 middle-aged patients living in four American cities who were cancer-free and had no cardiovascular problems at the outset.

At first, the numbers seem a bit misleading, because the rate of risk varied greatly by ethnic group and gender, with black men and women experiencing a greater incidence of stroke overall. For example, the rate of stroke among black women in the lowest and highest BMI categories was more than three times greater than that of white women.

What didn't change, however, was the correlation between the increased incidence of stroke and bigger waistlines. Generally, the risk of stroke among men and women in the highest obesity category nearly doubled in comparison to those in the lowest BMI group.

Stroke January 21, 2010

Medline Plus January 21, 2010

EurekAlert January 21, 2010