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Does your weight keep fluctuating? Beware, it may affect your blood pressure

Loknath Das , , , , , , , , , ,

Body weight is very important in terms of maintaining a normal blood pressure from early and into middle adulthood.

Your weight can impact your blood pressure as well. Presented on Friday at the American Heart Association (AHA) Council on Hypertension, AHA Council on Kidney in Cardiovascular Disease, American Society of Hypertension Joint Scientific Sessions 2017 in San Francisco, the study looked at the impact of five health behaviours on blood pressure levels over a 25-year period.

These behaviours included a healthy body weight (measured as a body mass index less than 25 kg/m2), never smoking, zero to seven alcoholic drinks weekly for women and zero to 14 for men, 150 minutes or more moderate to vigorous physical activity per week, and eating a healthy diet based on adhering to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension eating plan. Previous research showed that rapidly losing and gaining weight could lead to high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer. Blood pressure was also related to the combined overproduction of aldosterone and cortisol.

A total of 4,630 participants from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study were recruited for the research, with all subjects between 18 to 30 years old in 1985 and 1986 when the study started. During the following 25 years the researchers measured blood pressure and health behaviours eight times.

Never smoking and no or moderate alcohol consumption were also associated with a lower increase in blood pressure by middle age. (Shutterstock)

The analysis showed that maintaining a healthy body weight appeared to be more important for maintaining a normal blood pressure than the other four behaviours. Participants who kept their weight in check were 41% less likely to have increasing blood pressure as they grew older. Never smoking and no or moderate alcohol consumption were also associated with a lower increase in blood pressure by middle age, but the team added that a larger study is needed to confirm these results.

Perhaps surprisingly, no association was found between physical activity or a healthy diet and any changes in blood pressure during the 25-year period. When looking at the behaviours combined, the team also found that those who maintained at least four of the health behaviours were 27% more likely to have a normal blood pressure than an increasing blood pressure as they aged.

“Increasing blood pressure at younger ages is associated with earlier onset of heart disease and stroke,” said John N. Booth III, Ph.D. “This data suggests that body weight is very important in terms of maintaining a normal blood pressure from early and into middle adulthood. The other behaviours we studied may play an important role since they can influence body weight.”

Booth also stressed that although the other four behaviours included in the study were not as closely linked to maintaining blood pressure as a healthy weight was, they still have clear benefits for health in general.

 

 

[“source=hindustantimes”]

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