Summary
The correlations of blood pressure to various indices of muscularity and fatness were studied in 183 young healthy men (mean age 19.7, SD 2.1 years). Systolic pressure showed significant positive correlations with body fat percentage, isometric strength of trunk extensors, body mass index, lean body mass, strength of leg extensors, heart rate, and the sum of four skinfolds. Diastolic pressure had significant positive correlations with body mass index, lean body mass, body fat percentage, sum of skinfolds, strength of leg extensors, strength of trunk extensors, and age. A stepwise selective multiple regression analysis for systolic pressure resulted in four significantly correlating variables: body fat percentage (p<0.001), heart rate (p<0.01), lean body mass (p< 0.05), and strength of trunk extensors per kg body weight (p<0.05). For diastolic pressure the analysis resulted in two explaining variables: body mass index (p<0.001) and age (p<0.05). In a regression equation with 13 variables the strength of trunk flexors was negatively correlated with diastolic pressure.
It is concluded that both fatness and muscularity are factors related to blood pressure in young men. The muscularity effect is more clearly associated with trunk and leg extensor strength.
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Viitasalo, J.T., Komi, P.V. & Karvonen, M.J. Muscle strength and body composition as determinants of blood pressure in young men. Europ. J. Appl. Physiol. 42, 165–173 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00431023
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00431023