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Obesity and hypertension

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

The relationship between obesity and hypertension is complicated by the frequent presence of compounding factors such as physical inactivity and a high dietary salt intake.

However:

  • there is a linear relationship between excess body fat and hypertension
  • weight reduction in the obese leads to a fall in blood pressure
  • weight loss of 1 kg results in approximately 1-2 mmHg reduction in blood pressure
  • alcohol consumption appears to have an additive effect
  • a study found younger age at onset of overweight across adulthood is linked to significantly increased risk of hypertension, with highest relative risk among onset of overweight at age 18-39 years (HR vs normal-weight controls:1.38; 95% CI 1.11-1.72) (1)

Reference:

  • Fang LW et al. Association between age at onset of overweight and risk of hypertension across adulthood. Heart Published Online First: 21 February 2022. doi: 10.1136/heartjnl-2021-320278

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