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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2015 Jul 1.
Published in final edited form as: Cardiol Rev. 2014 Jul-Aug;22(4):163–170. doi: 10.1097/CRD.0000000000000004

Figure 2. Proposed relationship between body mass index and mortality rate.

Figure 2

The J-shaped curve illustrates increased mortality rate with a high body mass index (BMI) and with a very low BMI. The “sweet spot” depicts an ideal BMI, approximately 21 to 24 kg/m2 in women and 22 to 25 kg/m2 in men. Ethnic, racial and gender variations are not shown. The arrow shows the obesity paradox in individuals with cardiovascular disease. A mitigating effect of a higher BMI on mortality is shown by points A and B. Point “B” conceptualizes a population with higher BMI but lower mortality as compared to matched population shown as point “A” with a lower BMI but higher mortality.