Overweight and obesity throughout adulthood could increase an individual's risk of sudden cardiac death, according to a recent study from Harvard University.

"We found that it is important to maintain a healthy weight throughout adulthood as a way to minimize the risk of sudden cardiac death," Stephanie Chiuve, lead author of the study, according to a recent study.

For the study, researchers collected and analyzed data from more than 72,000 healthy women from 1980 to 2012. They examined the relation between body mass index (BMI) and weight gain and the risk for sudden cardiac death, death from coronary heart disease and non-fatal heart attacks. Over the 32-year study period, researchers documented 445 cases of sudden cardiac death, 1,286 cases of fatal coronary heart disease, and 2,272 non-fatal heart attacks.

Women with a higher BMI during adulthood had a greater risk of sudden cardiac death. Women who were overweight (BMI 25-30) and obese (BMI 30 or greater) were respectively 1.5- and 2-times more likely to experience sudden cardiac death over the next two years as compared to women with a healthy weight (BMI 21-23). Women who were overweight or obese at the start of the study or obese at age 18 had an elevated risk of sudden cardiac death over the entire course of the study.

They also found that weight gain in early-to-mid adulthood was associated with greater risk of sudden cardiac death regardless of BMI at age 18. The risk of sudden cardiac death was twice as high in women who gained 44 pounds or more during early to mid-adulthood.

"Nearly three-quarters of all sudden cardiac deaths occur in patients not considered to be high-risk based on current guidelines. We must seek broader prevention strategies to reduce the burden of sudden cardiac death in the general population," Chiuve said.

Women with a higher BMI had a greater risk of fatal coronary heart disease and non-fatal heart attacks, although the association was weaker compared with sudden cardiac death.

The findings are detailed in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Clinical Electrophysiology.