Is this a piece of good news? Citing recent research, Duke University Medical Director Dr. Pamela Morris said that “there is no connection between a person’s body mass index (BMI) and the risk of ischemic stroke”.
Morris, a cardiologist and clinical lipidologist in South Carolina, Charleston, USA, shared the findings during a panel discussion titled “Hope or Hype: A Rapid Fire on Insights and Breakthroughs in Preventive Cardiology” at the Philippine Heart Association–Philippine College of Cardiology (PHA-PCC) 55th Convention and Scientific Meeting, held on May 29, 2025, at the Isla Ballroom, EDSA Shangri-La, Mandaluyong City.
“The most recent meta-analysis found that when obesity is defined by BMI, there’s no relationship with ischemic stroke,” Morris explained.
However, she emphasized that waist circumference tells a different story.
“But if you look specifically at waist circumference and metabolic disorders, there is, in fact, a relationship to ischemic stroke,” she added.
According to the Mayo Clinic, an ischemic stroke occurs when the blood flow to part of the brain is blocked or reduced.
Morris further noted that “one study found a strong relationship between abdominal obesity and ischemic stroke in men—but not in women.”
Dr. Lourdes Ella Santos, PHA Director II who is also a cardiologist-lipidologist, raised concern over the findings, especially in light of rising obesity rates in the Philippines.
“I think that's scary too because the prevalence of obesity in the Philippines is actually on the rise. If you take a look at the Asian population too, we're far overtaking our Western counterparts in terms of abdominal obesity,” she said.
Dr. Pamela Morris
