Demographic, dietary, life style, and anthropometric correlates of blood pressure.

Abstract

The relationships between systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and select demographic, dietary, life-style, and anthropometric variables were examined for a specialized sample of 10,419 adults, 18 years and over, from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) I conducted in 1971-1974. The bivariate relationships of blood pressure to each of the measurements above were examined using zero-order correlation coefficients, and Step-wise linear regression. Age and body mass index (BMI) played a major role in accounting for most of the variance in blood pressure. These two indices alone accounted for 94.5% and 89.0% of the variance in systolic and diastolic blood pressure. In contrast, only 5.5% and 11.0% of the changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressure were explained by all other variables combined. Diet explained less than 1 % of the total variance observed for blood pressure for whites, and less than 5% for nonwhites. Select dietary variables such as sodium/potassium ratio, calories from fat, and % saturated fat were not significantly (p < 0.001) correlated to blood pressure. On the other hand, food calcium, sodium/calcium ratio, food vitamin C, and calcium/phosphorus ratio were significantly correlated to both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. (Hypertension 4 (supp III): III-135-III-142, 1982) KEY WORDS • diet • anthropometry • life style • demography • blood pressureB LOOD pressure is an important risk factor in cardiovascular mortality. 1 One in five persons (20.6%) in the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the U.S., 17 years of age and over, has been diagnosed as having hypertension. 2 Elevated blood pressure is linked to several factors including genetics, family history, obesity, and dietary intake. This study examines the relationship of blood pressure to demographic, dietary, anthropometric, and lifestyle factors in a select sample of the U.S. population. A brief review of each variable is provided.

Vitamin C and blood pressure–an overview

“…although the trials of vitamin C supplementation so far reported have generally been too small and too Sixteen observational studies [18][19][20]22,[25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36] and six trials, [37][38][39][40][41][42] published between 1978 and 1996, were varied to provide confirmatory evidence for a causal relationship. located and fulfilled the inclusion criteria.…”

“…For the US NHANES I sample, two sets of analyses performed by different groups were included as they were considered to be substantially different, though the study was still only considered to have contributed one study population. 19,20 where BP was treated as a continuous variable.…”

“…Five studies 19,20,28,29,31 reported on the association between vitamin C intake and BP in four popuReports that included data from more than one distinct population sample were allowed to contribute lations. Three of these five studies showed a significant inverse association between vitamin C and BP.…”

Genes and Family Environment Explain Correlations Between Blood Pressure and Body Mass Index

“…The coincidence of these clinical conditions reflects the underlying correlation between blood pressure and body weight that has been observed at different ages and in a variety of populations. [3][4][5][6] Why there is an association between blood pressure and weight is unclear, although a number of specific physiological hypotheses have been advanced, 7 including the concept of insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome. 8,9 If common causes of hypertension and obesity can be identified, they offer potentially important targets for more efficient and effective strategies for reduction in cardiovascular risk.…”

Obesity and Hypertension Induced Sleep Apnea in Men

“…However, in specific, hypertension may be caused by a number of other factors that includes obesity, age, high alcohol intake, smoking, low exercise and high caffeine intake [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. Early findings indicated that sleep apnea is associated with hypertension and obesity [14][15][16][17].…”