CohortHumann = 1,547,1892016
Interactive Effects of Physical Fitness and Body Mass Index on the Risk of Hypertension.
Plain-language summary
This study set out to see how body mass index (BMI) and physical fitness interact to affect the risk of high blood pressure. It followed over 1.5 million Swedish military conscripts from age 18 up to age 62, tracking their BMI, aerobic fitness, and muscle strength at enlistment and later diagnoses of high blood pressure. It found that both high BMI and low aerobic fitness raised the risk of high blood pressure, and the combination of the two carried the highest risk. Even men with a normal BMI faced a higher risk if their aerobic fitness was low.
Key findings
- High BMI and low aerobic fitness each raised the risk of high blood pressure.
- The combination of high BMI and low aerobic fitness carried the highest risk.
- Low aerobic fitness raised the risk even in men with a normal BMI.
- Muscle strength did not affect the risk of high blood pressure.
How to analyze the study yourself
- Study type
- Cohort studies follow a group over time to see how different factors affect outcomes, but they cannot prove cause and effect because other unmeasured factors may play a role.
- Population
- All 1,547,189 men conscripted into the Swedish military between 1969 and 1997, which was 97 to 98 percent of 18-year-old men in the country each year, examined at conscription and followed to a maximum age of 62.
- Funding
- National Institutes of Health (NIH) Extramural
- Takeaway
- This study found that both high BMI and low aerobic fitness raised the risk of high blood pressure, and the combination carried the highest risk. Even if your weight is normal, it may be worth keeping up your aerobic fitness to protect your heart.