Healthy Weight Throughout Lifetime Keeps BP in Check
Individuals who maintain a healthy weight over their lifetime have normal blood pressure levels from early adulthood through middle age, according to a recent study.
Findings of the study were presented by Dr John N. Booth III on September 14, 2017, 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, California.
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In the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study, Dr Booth and colleagues assessed 4630 participants who were ages 18 to 30 years at baseline (1985-1986). Follow-up lasted 25 years. Participants’ blood pressure and health behaviors were recorded 8 times until participants had reached middle age.
The researchers specifically analyzed the effects of 5 health behaviors on blood pressure levels over the course of follow-up, including maintaining a healthy body weight (having a body mass index below 25 kg/m2), never smoking, consuming 0-7 alcoholic drinks weekly for women and 0-14 for men, engaging in 150 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week, and consuming a healthy diet.
Ultimately, the researchers found that participants who had maintained at least 4 health behaviors were 27% more likely to have a normal blood pressure vs increasing blood pressure from early adulthood through middle age. Participants who maintained a healthy body weight throughout their lives had a 41% lower risk of having increasing blood pressure as they aged. Never smoking and consuming moderate amounts of alcohol—or no alcohol—were associated with less of an increase in blood pressure by middle age.
However, regularly engaging in physical activity and consuming a healthy diet did not effect changes in blood pressure.
“This data suggests that body weight is very important in terms of maintaining a normal blood pressure from early and into middle adulthood,” Dr Booth concluded. “These results provide evidence that what we may want to do is focus on how we can create interventions that will enable individuals to maintain a normal body weight throughout their lifetimes. The other behaviors we studied may play an important role since they can influence body weight.”
—Christina Vogt
Reference:
Maintaining healthy weight keeps blood pressure low through life [press release]. San Francisco, CA. American Heart Association. http://newsroom.heart.org/news/maintaining-healthy-weight-helps-keep-blood-pressure-low-through-life. Accessed on September 15, 2017.