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By H. M. WHYTE, D.PHIL.
Previous surveys have shown that height of observed blood pressure and degree of
overweight are related. However, excess weight does not necessarily mean excess fat
and the possibility of error in the measurement of blood pressure due to variations in
the size of the arm has not been excluded. The present survey, taking these factors
into account, shows that blood pressure is influenced by the total bulk of the body but
not especially by fat except insofar as it contributes to total bulk. A possible explana-
tion of the findings is offered.
IT IS WIDELY accepted that hypertension results of a survey among more than 17,000
is more common among the obese than individuals, B0e and co-workers5 drew the
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among the lean and that a positive relation- conclusion that age has a very marked influ-
ship exists between the level of blood pressure ence on blood pressure, whereas the influence
and the degree of obesity. The evidence upon of weight, relative to age and height is very
which these common beliefs are based comes small. Indeed, when corrections were made
largely from numerous surveys that are fully for the probable errors attributable to size of
discussed in standard books on blood pres- arm, in the small number of subjects in which
sure.1 2 However, there are several reasons arm circumference was measured, it seemed
why the conclusion that obesity and hyper- that weight, or obesity, had no significant ef-
tension are related should not be accepted fect on blood pressure.
too readily. Thus, 3 factors likely to obscure the true
Age has an important influence on blood relation between obesity and blood pressure
pressure and care must be taken in analyzing are age, height, and size of arm. No pre-
observations to avoid confusion due to differ- vious surveys, to my knowledge, have taken
ences in age, even within relatively narrow into account all 3 of these factors, nor a
age groups. Height and weight are obviously fourth very important factor, obesity itself.
related and in seeking the true relationship It has always been assumed that excess weight
between blood pressure and weight, or bulk, is a measure of excess fat.
of the body, proper heed must be paid to We have been interested in reexamining the
variation in height among individuals. This question of obesity and blood pressure, among
is not easy and the problem is not satisfactory- the natives of New Guinea6 as well as in
ily overcome by referring to tables of stand- Australian men,3 taking into account these
ard weights or by using the ponderal index various factors. Skinfold thicknesses have
of bulk, weight per unit of height.3 Then been accepted as a measure of obesity.7
there is the difficulty relating to the circum- Neither the amount of fat nor the total bulk
ference of the arm. It is well established4 of the body had any demonstrable influence
that our ordinary method of measuring blood on blood pressure in the natives. In Austral-
pressure gives readings that are falsely high ians, on the other hand, blood pressure was
when the arm is big. Since big people gener- related to over-all bulk but not apparently to
ally have big arms, this error will exaggerate obesity per se. This latter conclusion was
any true association that might exist between somewhat indefinite because of the influence
obesity and blood pressure. In analyzing the of a wide age scatter and an unsatisfactory
site for skinfold measurements. These draw-
From the Clinical Research Department, Kanematsu backs have been avoided in the survey which
Institute, Sydney Hospital, Sydney, Australia. forms the subject of the present report.
511 Circulation, Volume XIX, April 1959
512 5WHYTE
TABLE 1. Correlation Coefficients
Systolic Diastolic Arm circum-
B.P. B.P. Age Height Weight ference Fat
Diastolic
B.P. +.583*
Age +.049t +.019t
Height .005t .038t +.127f
Weight +419* +.373* +.150t +.481*
Arm circum-
ference +.417* +.399* +.139t +.156t +.733*
Fat +.347* +.306* +.094t +.003t +.698* +.573*
Serum
cholesterol -.028t +.040t +.290t +.203 +.233 +.105t +.071t
*To 0.1 per cent level of probability.
tNot significant of probability.
tTo 1 per cent level of probability.
To 5 per cent level of probability.
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r r
05
04I
03 _
- p
I.'.
S1%
513
0.2 s!
0*1
().n _'LL"
_
columns refer to the systolic and the open coluimns to the diastolic leressuie.
FIG. 2 Right. The coefficients of partial correlatiois between blood pressure ald body weiglht
whent age, height, fatness, and size of arm are held constant; and between blood pressure am11(
fatness (a negative coefficient) wvlhe age, height, weiglht, and(l size of armn are constant.
any of these other features could be causing linear relationships expressed iii these ternms
ani erroneous impression of the influence of were found to be as follows:
weight on blood pressure. Age appeared to Systolic pressure = +0.513 (weight) 0.004 (age)
exert no influence. Whenl allowance was made - 0.272 (height) - 0.086 (fat) + 0.133 (arm
for the possible influences of age, height, fat- size) (i = +0.241)
lneSS, and size of arm, there still remained a Diastolic pressure = +0.482 (weight) - 0.028 (age)
significant relationship between blood pressure - 0.292 (height) 0.122 (falt) + 0.165 (armn
and body w^eight that was significant at a 3 size) (r =-L-0.220)
per cent level of probability (partial corre- With the other variables being held constaiit,
lation coefficients were 0.243 for systolic and it is obvious that weight exerts the greatest
0.223 for diastolic pressure). This is illus- inifluenc(.e on blood pressure. The negative
trated in figure 2 and means that blood pres- influence of height is aii indication that it is
sure would be expected to increase with body not the absolute body weight, but rather
weight in a population of men who were of weight relative to height that is the important
uniform age and height and had the same size factor. When the data were analyzed in other
of arm and thickness of subcutaneous fat. The ways, it was found that the best index of
reduction in size of the coefficient when these body bulk relative to height was given by the
other factors were taken into account was due ratio,2 body weight/height. The partial cor-
mostly to the influence of size of arm, partly relation coefficients and regression coefficients
to height, and not at all to age and fatness. derived by usiiig this index were just as sig-
Another indication of the relative impor- nificant as when weight and height were im-
taiice of the influence of each of these factors eluded separately.
on blood pressure comes from the regression Expressed in ordinary units, the regression
equations. When each of the variables is ex- equations became:
pressed in its "'normalized" form, that is, as
deviation from its mean divided by the stand- Systolic pressure (mimi. Hg) = 165 + 0.35 weight
(l.) - 0.01 age (yr.) 1.53 height (ini.) --0.09
ard deviationl, the regression coefficients are fat (mmin.) + 0.81 arila size (ecm.)
closely analogous to partial correlation coeffi- Diastolic pressure (mim. Hg) = 111 + 0.24 weight
cients and prove a measure of the relative (11.) - 0.06 age (yr.) - 1.22 height (in.) - 0.09
importance of each item. The best fitting fat (nini.) + 0.73 arm size (em.)
514 1WHYTE
Blood Pressare and Circiutferetice of the Armii comicentratioii a)pceared to be related to age,
Although the simple correlation coefficients height, and weight. By the technic of partial
implied that blood pressure measured in the correlation the association2 with height
ordinary way was higher in subjects with (+0.091), weight (+0.135), and weight/
larger armns-as would be expected in view of height (+0.129) became unimportant but a
the observations made by Ragan and Bord- significant relationship (to 1 per cent level
ley4-the association lost significance when the of probability) with age remained (+0.264).
possible influence of other factors was ex- There was no evidence that the cholesterol
cluded. With constant age, weight, height, level was related to the thickness of subcu-
and fatness, the partial correlation coefficients taneous fat or the blood pressure.
for the relations between arm circumference DIscussIoN
and systolic pressure (+0.097) and between
the arm circumference and diastolic pressure Two conclusions to be drawn from the ob-
(+0.120) were not significant. It must be servations made in this study are quite clear-
cut. The first is that the bigger and heavier
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for blood. The vascular bed and the cardiac both of which are prominent among Austral-
output must increase: cardiac output seems ians, whose average serum cholesterol concen-
to be related to surface area, which, of course, tration exceeds 200 mog. per cent, but absent
increases with bulk. But what happens to among natives of New Guinea whose choles-
blood pressure when the augmented cardiac terol level is only 130 mg. per cent."
output is forced into an aorta and elastic The commelusion is that blood pressure is re-
arterial reservoir that may not have increased lated to weight or bulk of the body, but not
in capacity as the body weight rose? to obesity except insofar as it contributes to
Let us assume that the size of the aorta does bulk. To outgrow one's aorta inight be one
not increase. Then, taking average figures for of the dangers of overeating.
pulse rate and cardiac output9 we can calcu-
late the expected increase in cardiac stroke SUM MARY
volume for any particular increase in body Measurements were made in 100 men, 20
size. In addition, from the volume-pressure to 40 years of age, of blood pressure, height,
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Spitzer, R. S., Lee, K. T., and Thomas, W. A.: Early Age of Menopause in Young
Women with Fatal Acute Myocardial Infarction. Am. Heart J. 53: 805 (June),
1957.
The records of .500 autopsied patients who died with acute mlyoeardial infarction weCe
reviewed with particular attention to the age of menopause in the young women in this
series. Of the 16 women who died with acute mnyocardial infarction before the age of
r53 14 had reached the nienopause. In a control group only 6 of 13 women of nearly
similar age had reached menopause-a statistically significant difference. The authors
conclude that the data indicate that young women who die with acute mnyocardial in-
faretion usually have had an early menopause and that, therefore, some factor associated
with the menstrual cycle possibly protects young women atainst acute mnvocardiml
infarcti 'n.
SAGALL
Blood Pressure and Obesity
H. M. WHYTE
Circulation. 1959;19:511-516
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doi: 10.1161/01.CIR.19.4.511
Circulation is published by the American Heart Association, 7272 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, TX
75231
Copyright 1959 American Heart Association, Inc. All rights reserved.
Print ISSN: 0009-7322. Online ISSN: 1524-4539
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