Relationships between blood pressure and health and fitness-related variables in obese women.
Jeong Yeop Shin, Chang Ho Ha
PMID 27821965WHAT IT FOUND
Among 1,201 Korean middle-aged women, higher blood pressure was linked to higher weight, fat, BMI and basal metabolic rate.
In obese women, higher systolic BP linked to lower sit-up and jump performance; in normal-weight women, higher BP linked to lower cardiorespiratory fitness.
Key findings
01In both obese and normal-weight women, blood pressure was positively correlated with weight, body fat, fat weight, core fat, BMI and basal metabolic rate.
02In obese women, systolic blood pressure was negatively correlated with sit-up and Sargent jump scores and positively correlated with body-reaction time; diastolic blood pressure was negatively correlated with sit-up and Sargent jump scores.
03In normal-weight women, systolic and diastolic blood pressure were negatively correlated with VO2max, and systolic blood pressure was positively correlated with sit-and-reach distance.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study is cross-sectional, so it cannot show that obesity, poor fitness or inactivity causes higher blood pressure, or that exercise lowers blood pressure. The sample was limited to middle-aged women aged 30 to 59 years who had not been diagnosed with abnormal glucose metabolism or other health problems and who did not exercise regularly, so it may not apply to men, older adults, people with diagnosed conditions, or people who exercise. The methods state that all participants had body fat percentage greater than 30, but the table reports normal-weight mean body fat of 25.3%, so the group definitions are unclear. Blood pressure was measured as an average of three readings at one visit, not as a clinical diagnosis or repeated measure over time.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that obesity or low fitness causes higher blood pressure, or that exercise will lower it. The study measured associations at one time and did not test an intervention.