How Obesity Causes High Blood Pressure
Published April 12, 2022
Obesity is a pandemic that has hit across the globe. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that around 167 million people will be overweight or obese by 2025 (1).
Obesity can lead to many serious health issues, including hypertension and cardiovascular diseases (2). Weight management is critical to ensuring a healthy life.
When Are You Considered Obese?
Obesity is defined as a weight ≥20% above the ideal weight taking into consideration your height, gender, and age (3), and it can also be diagnosed by body mass index (BMI). While a BMI of 25.9-29 is considered overweight, a BMI over 30 is obese.
What Is Hypertension?
When the blood pressure is usually >140/90 mmHg, the condition is diagnosed as high blood pressure or hypertension.
The different stages of high blood pressure (4):
- 120/80 mmHg is considered normal
- 121-130 mmHg is considered elevated or high normal
- 131-140 mmHg is prehypertension
- 141-159 mmHg is stage-1 hypertension
- 160/100 mmHg is stage-2
- 180/120 is crisis-level
There are primarily two types of hypertension:
- Primary hypertension In 95% of people with high blood pressure, the cause is unknown. This is called primary hypertension or idiopathic hypertension.
- Secondary hypertension In the remaining 5%, the cause of hypertension comes from another complication in the body, such as kidney damage or kidney dialysis.
How Obesity Causes Other Health Issues
Obesity is more than just a cosmetic problem. It is a complex disease where excessive amounts of body fat may lead to various medical problems, such as:
- Type-2 diabetes
- Hypertension
- Dyslipidaemia
- Cardiovascular problems
- Congestive heart failures
- Respiratory disorders
- Bone/joint damage
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- Kidney diseases
- Stroke
- Cancer
Can Obesity Cause Hypertension?
Yes, it can. In fact, obesity is a major risk for primary hypertension. Studies confirm that around 75% of obese people are hypertensive (5). BMI and blood pressure are directly linked. Increased blood pressure is seen with higher levels of BMI. In morbid obesity with BMI higher than 35, hypertension can be life-threatening.
How Obesity Causes Hypertension
The root cause of obesity is insulin resistance. Obese people tend to have hyperinsulinemia—too much insulin in their system. Let's take a look at how obesity increases the risk of developing hypertension:
- High insulin stimulates the autonomic nervous system (especially the sympathetic nervous system). This causes a spike in blood pressure.
- High insulin also stiffens the arteries, which interferes with the blood flow.
- Obese people usually have high cholesterol as well. Cholesterol and calcium can accumulate in arteries, narrowing them and making it difficult for the blood to flow freely.
- The constriction puts extra pressure on the blood vessels, thereby increasing the blood pressure.
- High insulin also causes sodium retention, which results in fluid accumulation. The excess fluid puts pressure on the kidney, which then builds up in your system, leading to an increase in blood pressure.
According to studies, raised blood levels of leptin can stimulate the growth of small blood vessels in the brain, especially in the hypothalamus—the part of the brain involved in the regulation of appetite and blood pressure. The overgrowth of blood vessels in the hypothalamus has been found to increase blood pressure in obese subjects (6).
Obesity and Low Blood Pressure
Not all obese people have hypertension (7). You may have heard of obese people complaining of feeling faint and dizzy. Low blood pressure can occur if blood flow is too slow and insufficient blood reaches the brain.
Among overweight or obese people, those having large thigh circumferences were found to have lower blood pressure, in comparison to those with smaller thigh circumferences (8).
Even a modest amount of weight loss can significantly lower blood pressure in hypertensive obese individuals (9).
What Can You Do to Manage Hypertension Caused by Obesity?
1. Reduce Your Insulin
This may be achieved by diet and lifestyle changes, such as:
- Intermittent fasting
- Eliminating snacks
- Following a low-carb diet or ketogenic diet
- Daily exercise
- Portion management
- Avoiding sugar
2. Increase Your Potassium Intake
Potassium supplements, especially potassium citrate, may have a significant effect on reducing your blood pressure (10). It may dilate the smooth muscle in the arteries and keep the vascular system from becoming stiff. Consider eating plenty of potassium-rich foods such as green leafy vegetables, avocado, etc.
3. Take Vitamin D3 and Vitamin K2 Supplements
Even if you are not overweight, having hypertension can result in weight gain. High levels of renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may reduce resting metabolism, leading to weight gain (11). RAS is a hormonal system that controls blood pressure.
Vitamin D may lower the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), thereby lowering your blood pressure. You may need 10,000-20,000 IU of Vitamin D3 with K2 per day. It's best to get the right dosage prescribed by your doctor.
4. Reduce Stress
Stress results in a high amount of cortisol. This may potentially cause significant sodium retention and potassium suppression which are reasons enough for hypertension. High cortisol may also affect the sympathetic nervous system. By reducing stress, you may be able to regulate your blood pressure better.
5. Increase Your Fiber Intake
Dietary fiber may be effective in decreasing blood pressure as it can potentially improve glycemia, decrease insulin resistance, and support healthy weight loss (12).
The Final Note
The effect obesity has on hypertension is not to be taken lightly.
Be it excess pressure on the organs and blood vessels, increased inflammation, vasoconstriction of the arterial wall, or hyperinsulinemia, approximately 40-50% of hypertension cases are attributed to obesity.
Understanding obesity and hypertension pathophysiology are helpful in making the necessary lifestyle changes to reduce the symptoms. The effect of weight loss on hypertension is significant. Even 10 pounds of weight loss can lower your blood pressure.
Medical Disclaimer
Dario Health offers health, fitness, and nutritional information and is designed for educational purposes only and should not be relied upon. The information provided might not be accurate, full, complete, or effective. Accordingly, it is not intended to be used for medical diagnosis or treatment or as a substitute for professional medical advice. You are strongly advised to consult your physician or qualified health professional regarding your condition and appropriate medical treatment. Individual symptoms, situations, and circumstances may vary.
Resources
- https://www.who.int/news/item/04-03-2022-world-obesity-day-2022-accelerating-action-to-stop-obesity
- https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/adult/causes.html#:~:text=Obesity%20is%20serious%20because%20it,and%20some%20types%20of%20cancer.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5038894/
- https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/understanding-blood-pressure-readings
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5038894/
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212877812000130
- https://journals.lww.com/jhypertension/Abstract/2010/06001/Normal_Blood_Pressure_in_Obesity_Is_Associated.1231.aspx
- https://ec.bioscientifica.com/view/journals/ec/9/4/EC-19-0539.xml
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10832771/
- https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/01.hyp.0000158264.36590.19
- https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(16)30889-0
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26923351/
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