Obesity and cardiovascular disease: the hippocrates paradox?**Editorials published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiologyreflect the views of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of JACCor the American College of Cardiology.

Carl J. LavieCardiologist, Ochsner Medical Center

“Although obesity contributes to the development of several cardiovascular diseases (hypertension, heart failure, and coronary artery disease), in many situations as discussed in our editorial, paradoxically the prognosis of the obese patient with the disease has been better than that in the leaner patients with the same disease.”

“Clearly Hippocrates recognized the association between obesity and cardiovascular disease. According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, paradox is 'a seemingly contradictory statement that may nonetheless be true'. Because Hippocrates recognized the association between obesity and sudden cardiac death, his quoted statement is therefore not a paradox.”