Caveats
In an accompanying editorial, Larry Goldstein, MD, chair of the Department of Neurology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, and codirector of the Kentucky Neuroscience Institute, said the study “provides additional evidence of an association between overweight/obesity and stroke in young adults.”
However, Dr. Goldstein added that “while it is tempting to assume that reductions in overweight/obesity in younger populations would translate to lower stroke rates in young adults, this remains to be proven.”
Moreover, it is “always important to acknowledge that associations found in observational studies may not reflect causality.”
This study was supported by Orion Research Foundation, Päivikki and Sakari Sohlberg Foundation, and Paulo Foundation. Dr. Mikkola reported no relevant financial relationships. The other authors’ disclosures are listed on the original paper. Dr. Goldstein reported no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.