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Body mass index is more strongly associated with hypertension than waist circumference in apparently healthy Japanese men and women

Acta Diabetologica volume 47, pages 309–313 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

Obesity is associated with hypertension. However, it is controversial which obesity index, body mass index (BMI) or waist circumference (WC), is more strongly associated with hypertension. We compared the cross-sectional associations of BMI and WC with hypertension. Logistic regressions using hypertension as a dependent variable and age, BMI, WC, fasting plasma glucose, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, smoking status, drinking status, and physical activity as independent variables were performed using data from apparently healthy 1,803 Japanese men aged 49.9 ± 9.0 and 1,150 women aged 49.5 ± 9.0 excluding subjects with a history of cardiovascular disease, or with antidiabetic, antihypertensive and/or antihyperlipidemic medications. The odds ratio [95% confidence interval] of 1 kg/m2 increase in BMI and that of 1 cm increase in WC for diagnosing hypertension were 1.23 [1.11–1.36] (p < 0.0001) and 0.99 [0.95–1.02] (p = 0.4) in men and 1.35 [1.16–1.58] (p < 0.0001) and 0.97 [0.91–1.03] (p = 0.4) in women, respectively. Thus, BMI, but not WC, was independently associated with hypertension in apparently healthy Japanese men and women.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank all subjects who participated in the study, the paramedical staff at our center who assisted with the study and Dr. Shinpei Yoshii and Dr. Masaaki Okabe at Tachikawa Medical Center, and Prof. Yoshifusa Aizawa at Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences for their assistance to construct the study environment.

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  1. Medical Check-up Center, Tachikawa Medical Center, Nagacho 2-2-16, Nagaoka, Niigata, 940-0053, Japan

    Eiji Oda & Ryu Kawai

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  1. Eiji Oda
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  2. Ryu Kawai
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Correspondence to Eiji Oda.

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Oda, E., Kawai, R. Body mass index is more strongly associated with hypertension than waist circumference in apparently healthy Japanese men and women. Acta Diabetol 47, 309–313 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00592-010-0203-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00592-010-0203-7

Keywords

  • Obesity
  • Blood pressure
  • BMI
  • Waist circumference
  • Hypertension