Slight Weight Gain Tied to Increased Risk of Blood Pressure, Study

First Posted: Sep 11, 2014 03:00 AM EDT
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A team of researchers has found that healthy young people, who have put on as little as five pounds of fat, are at an increased risk of high blood pressure.

It is a fact that obese or overweight people are at a greater risk for developing several adult diseases. Being overweight ups the risk of coronary heart disease, type-2 diabetes, hypertension, cancers, stroke, sleep apnea, breathing problems and other conditions. Most of them aware of these risk factors, but not much is known about the impact of a slight weight gain, i.e. 5-11 pounds.

In the current study, led by the American Heart Association (AHA), researchers found that even 5 pounds of extra body weight can increase the risk of high blood pressure - also known as the "silent killer".  

"To our knowledge, for the first time, we showed that the blood pressure increase was specifically related to increases in abdominal visceral fat, which is the fat inside the abdomen," said Naima Covassin, Ph.D., the study's lead author and a research fellow at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. "Our research suggests that healthy people who are more likely to gain weight in the stomach area are also more likely to have their blood pressure increased."

To investigate this, an eight-week study was conducted on healthy adults aged between 18- 48 years. At the beginning, a 24-hour monitor was used to test the blood pressure of 16 normal weight people. Later, these participants were fed an extra 400-1,200 calories each day with their choice of ice cream shake, chocolate bar or energy drink to increase their body weight by 5 percent.

After this, the participant's blood pressure was measured for another 24 hours. The results were then compared to 10 normal weight healthy people who had the same weight over the eight weeks. The researchers found that the participants who had gained weight had a systolic blood pressure increase from an average 114 mm Hg to an average 118 mm Hg. The participants who gained weight on their abdomen had higher blood pressure increase. A 5-11 pounds of weight gain did not change cholesterol, insulin or blood sugar levels.

"The public awareness of the adverse health effects of obesity is increasing; however, it seems most people are not aware of the risks of a few extra pounds," Covassin said. "This is an important finding because a five- to seven-pound weight gain may be normal for many during the holiday season, the first year of college or even while on vacation."

The study was presented at the American Heart Association's High Blood Pressure Research Scientific Sessions 2014.

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