| BACKGROUND: Weight and blood pressure (BP) are closely related. The
aim of this study was to quantify this relationship and compare it
to other factors in a population of relatively young adults, with particular
focus on the possible role of gender. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional
analysis of the Young Adult Periodic Examinations in Israel (YAPEIS)
database of healthy people aged 25 to 45 years undergoing routine periodic
examinations. Between 1991 and 1999, 38,558 subjects (88.1% men, mean
age 36 +/- 8 years) were examined. The correlation between BP and weight
was evaluated with adjustments for age, sex, physical activity, cigarette
smoking, and fasting blood glucose levels. RESULTS: Blood pressure
correlated positively with body mass index (BMI), spanning the spectrum
of BMI values. Weight accounted for 8% to 10% of BP variance. The odds
ratio for hypertension increased by 16% for each additional unit of
BMI, compared to 6% for each year increase in age. The relative propensity
of men toward hypertension, typical of this age group, was less pronounced
at higher BMI values (male:female ratio = 2.2 at BMI <25 kg/m(2),
and 1.28 at BMI >/=35 kg/m(2)). CONCLUSIONS: The association between
BP and body weight is at least as strong as that between BP and age
and is especially prominent in women. |
