Cardiovascular risk, obesity, and myocardial blood flow in postmenopausal women

Background. This study was designed to determine whether overweight or obese status is independently associated with myocardial flow reserve (MFR), an established predictor of cardiovascular mortality, in a group of postmenopausal women with no previous cardiovascular disease. Postmenopausal women are the largest group of overweight and physically inactive individuals in the United States. Increased body mass index (BMI) is consistently associated with increased cardiovascular mortality in this population. Whether this is because of obesity itself or the accompanying increase in cardiovascular risk factors (CRFs) remains controversial.