Body mass index and screening for cardiovascular disease risk

Índice de massa corporal e avaliação do risco de doença cardiovascular

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Body mass index and screening for cardiovascular disease risk

Índice de massa corporal e avaliação do risco de doença cardiovascular

Viroj Wiwanitkit

Wiwanitkit House, Bangkhae, Bangkok Thailand

^{Correspondence}

Iread the recent report on body mass index and screening for cardiovascular disease risk with great interest (1). Bergmann and cols. concluded that "The BMI proposed in this study represents the more adequate alternative for screening school age children with increased chances of carrying DCV risk factors(1)". Although I agree with this finding, I have some concerns about the study. First, the authors studied subjects aged between 7 to 12 years old, but refers to "infancy" in the title. Second, BMI is the result of nutritional factors and feeding habits. The concern on infancy feeding habits might be as or more important. Finally, other factors can be the risk factors and they should not be forgotten. Recently, Must and cols. proposed that "Although the classic obesity risk factors seem to play a role in the development of excess weight and fatness, some more recently identified potential factors, such as sleep, warrant further investigation in prospective studies before they are ready for evaluation using more controlled study designs(2)".

Received on May/31/2011

Accepted on Aug/4/2011

• 1. Bergmann GG, Gaya A, Halpern R, Bergmann ML, Rech RR, Constanzi CB, et al. Body mass index to the cardiovascular disease risk screening in infancy. Arq Bras Endocrinol Metabol. 2011;55(2):114-20.
• 2. Must A, Barish EE, Bandini LG. Modifiable risk factors in relation to changes in BMI and fatness: what have we learned from prospective studies of school-aged children? Int J Obes (Lond). 2009;33(7):705-15.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  07 Oct 2011
• Date of issue
  Aug 2011