One of the issues with MGUS is that it is new and there is not a ton of good studies... so we have a few studies that contradict each other. One seemed to have suggest that being overweight was a risk factor for MGUS progression. One said the opposite.
Now we have a new study supporting increased BMI with progression.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35440099/
In conclusion, high BMI is a prognostic factor for MGUS progression, independent of isotype, M protein, and FLCr. This association may be stronger among females.
This study does, imho have a number of problems.
- First it is just an association with Body Mass Index? We have no idea if Body Mass Index is the issue OR... something else that may lead to high Body Mass Index. Such as Insulin Resistance or Diabetes.
- It doesn't give a good measure as to how high the BMI needs to be to cause a problem. For instance, my BMI is 27. I am just slightly overweight. I have a feeling that isn't as dangerous as someone who say is at 30.
- The data was from long ago.... 1995 to 2003, which was the height of high sugar guidelines.
- It seemed that most of the patients died during the time period... so, this suggests that the MGUS patients were all older. And we know with age the immune system fails... was that the true cause of progression?
Nevertheless, it is well established that more weight leads to more inflammation and more inflammation leads to more MGUS. So, I have to get my BMI down to 25.
