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It’s a paradox that has puzzled epidemiologists for a long time. Why do some studies suggest that a higher body mass index (BMI) can end up “protecting” against bloodstream infections?
A team of researchers from the Yale School of Public Health, in collaboration with colleagues at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, may have found the answer: It doesn’t. In fact, they found obesity increases risk.
Recently published in the journal
PLOS Medicine, the study is the result of an innovative genetic analysis called Mendelian randomization that the researchers employed on data from more than 55,000 people in Norway over a 23-year span. Researchers found that those who were genetically predisposed to a higher BMI also had a higher risk of dying from bloodstream infections a direct contradiction of earlier studies on the subject.