Blood Pressure and Obesity
Are you tired of taking blood pressure medicine one or more times a day? Is it possible to turn back the clock to a time when you didn’t have to take blood pressure medication? Here is some good news – losing weight can help reduce your high blood pressure.
Obesity is directly linked to high blood pressure, also known as hypertension.
This is because obesity:
- Increases sodium retention.
- Increases arterial pressure.
- Increases norepinephrine – Norepinephrine is similar to adrenaline; it constricts blood vessels, which causes blood pressure to rise.
- Increases angiotensin II levels – Angiotensin II causes blood vessels to constrict, which causes blood pressure to rise.
- Increases damage to nephrons (the functional units of the kidneys) – Damage to nephrons causes blood pressure to rise.
People who lose 5 to 10 percent of their baseline body weight will experience, on average, a 10 mm Hg decrease in their systolic blood pressure (the bottom number).
With proper medical guidance, you can experience the health benefits that result from returning to a healthy weight.
Sources:
Hu, F. et al. 2008. Obesity Epidemiology. Harvard School of Public Health, Oxford Press.
Pasanisi F et al. Benefits of Sustained Weight Moderate Weight Loss in obesity. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc dis 2001:11(6)401-406
Jensen, MD, et al. 2013 AHA/ACC/TOS guidelines for the management of overweight and obesity in adults: a report of the ACC/AHA task force on practice guidelines; Circulation. 2014:129(suppl 2); S201-S138.
Weight Management: Pathways to Improving Your Health
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