Relationships between body fatness, adipose tissue distribution and blood pressure in men and women

Abstract

The relationships between body fatness, fat distribution and blood pressure (BP) were studied in 234 women and 238 men, aged 18–50 years. In both sexes, subcutaneous (s.c.) fat (assessed by the measurement of s.c. skinfolds) and percent body fat (measured by underwater weighing) were correlated significantly with diastolic (0.27 ⩽ r ⩽ 0.37, p < 0.0005) and systolic (0.17 ⩽ r ⩽ 0.29, p < 0.01) BP. In either sex, the proportion of s.c. trunk fat as reflected by the ratio of trunk/extremity skinfolds showed significant associations with diastolic (men: r = 0.35, women: r = 0.20, p < 0.01) and systolic BP (men: r = 0.15, women: r = 0.17, p < 0.05). Control for the effects of covariables potentially affecting BP (energy intake, energy expenditure, maximal oxygen consumption, cigarette smoking, alcohol intake and age) revealed significant effects of age and alcohol intake on BP in men. In women, only age appeared to be associated with BP variation. Partial correlations after control for age and alcohol intake indicated a significant association between the trunk/ extremity skinfolds ratio and diastolic BP in men. Such a correlation was not found in women after control for the effect of age. Analysis of variance (2 × 2 factorial with fixed effects) confirmed that, in men, the distribution of s.c. body fat was, per se, associated with diastolic BP ( F = 8.43, p < 0.01), whereas the proportional of s.c. trunk fat was not related to systolic BP in both sexes. These results demonstrate a significant association between the proportion of s.c. trunk fat and diastolic BP in healthy men. In addition, a sex dimorphism is observed in the relationships between body fatness, fat distribution and blood pressure in normal adults.