INTRODUCTION: While adiposity is an established risk factor for incident ischemic stroke, its influence on functional recovery after stroke is uncertain. We leveraged Mendelian randomization (MR) to examine the causal effects of body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) on post-stroke motor, cognitive, and global recovery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Genetic proxies for BMI and WHR were obtained from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis of the GIANT consortium and the UK Biobank ( RESULTS: A 1-standard deviation (SD) increase (~4.8 kg/m DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSIONS: Human genetic evidence suggests that elevated adiposity negatively impacts multiple post-stroke outcomes, including motor function, cognition, and overall recovery. The biological pathways underlying these associations warrant further investigation.