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Obesity worse for blood pressure

 Blood pressure
Posted on Oct 23 2011
Blog/ News / Articles >> Blood pressure

Researchers from the University of California-Merced have found that obesity has a greater impact on teenage girls' blood pressure than it does on teenage boys.

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In the study that included 1,700 teens between the ages of 13 and 17, obese girls had three times the risk of higher blood pressure.

Blood pressure is measured by two numbers. The lower number, called diastolic pressure, measures the force on the arteries between heartbeats. Systolic pressure, the upper number, represents the amount of force that blood exerts on blood vessel walls when the heart beats. High systolic numbers portend a risk for heart disease and stroke.

Findings from the new study, presented to the American Physiological Society conference, found that obese boys were 3.5 times more likely to develop elevated systolic blood pressure than non-obese boys. And, obese teen girls fared even worse. They were nine times more likely to develop elevated systolic blood pressure than non-obese teen girls.

The divergence between the two sexes could be partly blamed on the fact that the adolescent girls who participated in the study engaged in physical activity 50 to 60 percent less than the boys surveyed.

Health experts say that study reinforces the need for healthy eating and exercise during childhood.



 

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Last changed: Oct 31 2011 at 11:49 AM

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