Where Body Fat is Stored May Increase Hypertension Risk

Where body fat is stored may also put some individuals at an increased risk for high blood pressure-a health issue affected by millions around the world.

Findings published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that those with similar body mass index but fat concentration elsewhere on the body were at greater risk of developing this health issue.

For the study, researchers examined 903 participants enrolled in the Dallas Heart Study who were followed for an average of seven years. Meanwhile, researchers tracked developed of hypertension, classified as a systolic blood pressure of greater or equal to 140 diastolic blood pressure of greater or equal to 90, or initiation of blood pressure medications. Patients also received imaging of visceral fat, or fat located deep in the abdominal cavity between the organs; subcutaneous fat, or visible fat located all over the body; and lower-body fat.

"Generally speaking, visceral fat stores correlate with the 'apple shape' as opposed to the 'pear shape,' so having centrally located fat when you look in the mirror tends to correlate with higher levels of fat inside the abdomen," said senior author Aslan T. Turer, M.D., M.H.S., a cardiologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

Findings revealed that roughly 25 percent of the patients developed hypertension. Those with a higher body mass index (BMI) were at increased risk, particularly those with increased abdominal body fat. The relationship between abdominal fat and hypertension did not change when factoring in gender, age or race.

"The high incidence of hypertension and presence of retroperiotoneal fat could suggest that the effects from fat around the kidneys are influencing the development of hypertension," Turer said. "This link could open new avenues for the prevention and management of hypertension. The finding of the fat around the kidney is a novel one and we do not know specifically what the 'in the mirror' correlates are."