Weight fluctuations could increase blood pressure in android obese women

Abstract

Recent studies have documented a relationship between increased morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular diseases and a history of weight cycling (WC) in obese subjects. We performed a cross-sectional analysis in 96 weight-cycling android obese women, matched with 96 non-weight-cycling android obese women by age, body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), to evaluate any increase in blood pressure (BP) levels in association with WC. The patients were all between 20 and 45 years old, were non-menopausal, did not smoke, did not take any medication, had normal glucose tolerance and were otherwise healthy. A history of WC was established on the basis of at least five weight losses in the previous 5 years due to dieting, with a weight loss of at least 4.5 kg per cycle. We documented higher levels of casual BP in the weight-cycling obese compared with the non-weight-cycling subjects: 147+/-12/90+/-8 mmHg versus 125+/-14/79+/-8 mmHg (P<0.001). The women with WC showed a statistically significant positive correlation between BP and age, weight, BMI, waist circumference, WHR, total weight regained and weight cycling index (WCI). However, in a multiple regression model only the WHR and WCI contributed significantly to the BP variability. These findings could support the hypothesis that it is the combined exposure of central-type obesity and WC that strongly raises the prediction of hypertension.

Weight cycling during growth and beyond as a risk factor for later cardiovascular diseases: the ‘repeated overshoot’ theory

“…central-type) obese women with a history of weight cycling, defined as diet-induced weight loss of X4.5 kg at least five times in the previous 5 years, were compared to 96 non-weight cycling controls matched for age, BMI and waist-to-hip ratio, a history of weight cycling was a strong predictor of hypertension. 58 Hypertension was also more frequent in non-obese Japanese men with a long history of weight variability. 39 Finally, in the experimental study of weight cycling in five non-obese Japanese women who went through two voluntary cycles of weight loss and regain, systolic and diastolic blood pressures were both significantly elevated at the end of the study, more than 100 days after the end of the second weight-loss period.…”

“…Finally, a simple redistribution of fat to the central areas without changes in body composition may be another possible link between weight cycling and cardiovascular diseases. Body fat distribution of the android type (prevalently abdominal) rather than of the gynoid type (prevalently gluteal) is more likely to be found in obese women with a history of weight cycling [57][58][59] and is known to be a major risk factor for metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. In non-obese women, controlled for age and parity, a higher waist-to-hip ratio (reflecting more central fat deposition) was significantly associated with a higher degree of weight cycling.…”

Risk factors for hypertension in obese women. The role of weight cycling

“…There are numerous studies that examine the relationship between WC and blood pressure levels. However, most of these studies have been conducted on animals (Contreras et al, 1991), and very few on humans (Kalkoff et al, 1983;Melby et al, 1991;Guagnano et al, 1999).…”

General and Abdominal Obesity and Survival among Young Women with Breast Cancer

“…Women with an elevated waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) or a large waist circumference, two markers of abdominal fat distribution (19), are reported to have a higher risk of several cancers (including postmenopausal breast cancer) as well as stroke, hypertension, atherosclerosis, hirsutism, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes mellitus (20)(21)(22) presumably due to elevated concentrations of estrogen, insulin, and triglycerides (18,23). The effect of abdominal fat on the prognosis for breast cancer has not been well studied in either premenopausal or postmenopausal women (24,25).…”