Relationship between Weight Loss and Blood Pressure

Weight loss has been established as a major contributor to blood pressure reduction. Overweight is a progressively more widespread condition all through the world. Present estimates, which are possibly conservative, point out that no less than 500 000 000 individuals globally are overweight as stipulated by the body mass index (BMI) ranging between 25.0 and 29.9 and another 250 000 000 are obese having a BMI of 30.0 or bigger. In the US, current data designate that as much as nearly 66% of the grown-up population is overweight. This is a worrying statistic since overweight and obesity are confirmed risk contributors for hypertension, certain cancers, along with many other disorders. It is additionally a risk cause for cardiovascular disease (CVD) (American Heart Association, 2008).

Hypertension, diagnosed as a systolic blood force of above 140 mm Hg or alternatively a diastolic blood force greater than 90 mm Hg, is a universally increasing public health distress. Approximately, 1 billion persons worldwide are approximated to display clinically considerable increased blood pressure of about over 50 million of those leaving in the United States. Hypertension, sequentially, is linked with increased danger for CVD, renal disease, stroke, and all-cause mortality.

Stage 1 hypertension is indicated by blood pressure heights between around 140 and 159 mm Hg systolic and as well 90 and 99 diastolic. Moreover, the research has established a type of Prehypertension characterized by Systolic blood pressure ranging from 120 and 140 mm Hg or as well as diastolic ranging from 80 and 89 mm Hg. These two types of blood pressure classifications are regarded to be appropriate main targets for everyday life modification interventions, along with weight loss.

There exist a positive association between overweight and blood pressure and threat for hypertension. In the 1920s, a considerable association connecting body heaviness and blood pressure was established. In the later decades, epidemiological researches have routinely reaffirmed this association. The Framingham Study indicated that hypertension is approximately twice as common in the obese as compared the non-obese. Stamler and fellow researchers showed odds percentage for hypertension of obese comparative to non-obese (with BMI of fewer than 25) of 2.42 for youthful adults and 1.54 for elderly ones. The Nurses Health research compared females with BMIs of under 22 with those of greater than 29 and established a 2- to 6-fold greater occurrence of hypertension amongst the obese.

The challenge, as a result, is how to achieve this goal of blood pressure control. Abundant treatments have indicated efficacious, in the short term, clinically considerably decreasing blood pressure levels. Among these, weight loss provides a number of promising features. Considering the verification for weight loss confirmed reductions in blood pressure achieved through the more customary means of caloric restriction and additional lifestyle modification strategies there exist definite evidence or their correlation. Weight loss could also be achieved through pharmacological and surgical means.

Since most weight loss is attained through dietary interventions, it is probable that some factors of diet, when manipulated, are the real resultants of blood pressure decrease. Principal among perceived dietary aspects determining blood pressure is sodium utilization. Largely research supports the idea that reducing sodium consumption in Western community will lead to a reduction of blood pressure. Abundant epidemiological researches have shown this relationship. Decreasing in sodium uptake in quantities of 75 mmol/d or less than that have been limked with a decrease in blood pressure of approximately 1.9 mm Hg systolic along with 1.1 diastolic reductions  (European Heart Journal, 2005).

Other dietetic constituents that have been connected to controlling of blood pressure are vegetarian diets and which are broadly associated with lowering levels of blood pressure. Similarly, physical activities have been indicated an influence on levels of blood pressure is also a part of the suggested treatment of weight loss plans.

References

American Heart Association. (2008). Weight Loss and Blood Pressure Control (Pro). Retrieved July 7, from http://hyper.ahajournals.org/content/51/6/1420.full

European Heart Journal. (2005). What is the relationship between risk factor reduction and degree of weight loss? Retrieved July 7, from http://eurheartjsupp.oxfordjournals.org/content/7/suppl_L/L21.full