Marked weight reduction lowers resting and exercise blood pressure in morbidly obese subjects

• Published in: American journal of hypertension Vol. 13; no. 3; pp. 251 - 255
• Main Authors: Ben-Dov, Issahar, Grossman, Ehud, Stein, Ayelet, Shachor, Dov, Gaides, Mark
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.03.2000; Oxford University Press; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Pressure - physiology; Body Mass Index; Body Weight - physiology; Diastole; Exercise - physiology; Exercise Test; Female; Gastric restriction; Gastroplasty - methods; Heart Rate - physiology; Hemodynamics - physiology; Humans; low and high exercise intensity; Male; Medical sciences; Obesity, Morbid - physiopathology; Obesity, Morbid - surgery; Stomach, duodenum, intestine, rectum, anus; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Surgery of the digestive system; Systole; Weight Loss - physiology; low and high exercise intensity; Gastric restriction; body mass index; Human; Stomach; Obesity; Open reduction; Treatment efficiency; Nutrition disorder; Weight loss; Exploration; Treatment; Surgery; Exercise tolerance test; Blood pressure; Nutritional status
• ISSN: 0895-7061; 1879-1905; 1941-7225
• DOI: 10.1016/S0895-7061(99)00190-9

Obesity and high blood pressure (BP) often coexist. Weight reduction lowers resting BP but its effect on BP during exercise (a predictor of target organ damage) has not been evaluated. Blood pressure was measured at rest and during cycling, before and after weight reduction induced by gastric restriction. Nineteen subjects (4 male), 41 ± 2 (SEM) years of age and body mass index (BMI) of 43 ± 0.9 kg/m 2, were studied. On each occasion BP was measured at rest, at a steady state of 0 and 25 watts, at peak exercise and 1 min into recovery. Body weight was reduced by 28% ± 6% and BMI decreased from 43.3 ± 0.9 to 31.5 ± 0.7 kg/m 2 ( P < .01). Both BP and heart rate, at rest and at all exercise intensities, were significantly lower after weight reduction. Resting BP decreased from 133 ± 4/87 ± 3 mm Hg to 115 ± 4/77 ± 2 mm Hg ( P < .001), and BP at peak exercise decreased from 181 ± 8/98 ± 4 to 162 ± 6/83 ± 5 mm Hg ( P < .001). The change in resting systolic BP did not correlate with the change in body weight or with the change in heart rate, but it correlated with the baseline systolic BP (R = 0.61; P < .005). It is concluded that marked weight reduction reduces BP at rest and at all exercise intensities. Gastroplasty should be considered as an option in morbidly obese hypertensive patients who are not well controlled with conventional treatment, and who fail to lose or to maintain a reduced weight by calorie restriction alone.