Abstract
The associations of body composition with blood pressure were studied in 2086 men aged from 23 to 58 years working in a factory. Height (H), body weight (W), chest and abdominal girth, skinfolds (triceps, subscapula and abdomen) and systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure were measured. Total fatmass (FM) and lean body mass (LBM) were calculated according to the equation of Ohnaka for % Fat. In addition the abdomen to chest girth ratio (A/C ratio) was calculated as an index of abdominal adipose tissue distribution. Quetelet's index (W/H2) was employed as the body build index.
Significant correlations between blood pressure and each item of the body composition variables studied except for height were observed. Among fatness indices studied, the highest correlation of blood pressure was found with FM. In order to assess the magitude of the influence of body composition variables on blood pressure, multiple regression analyses were performed with FM, LBM and the A/C ratio serving as the independent variables. FM and the A/C ratio were positively correlated with both SBP and DBP. LBM, on the other hand, was negatively associated with blood pressure when FM and the A/C ratio were taken into account. Among these variables, FM accounted for the largest percentage of explained variance in both SBP and DBP. These findings suggest that body fat mass may be important in the relationship between blood pressure and body composition.
