Arq. Bras. Cardiol. 2022; 118(4): 727-729
Hypertension in Adolescence, a Direct Relationship to Obesity and Insulin Resistance
This Short Editorial is referred by the Research article "Hypertension and Associated Lipid, Glucose, and Adiposity Parameters in School-Aged Adolescents in the Federal District, Brazil".
Hypertension is the main modifiable risk factor for developing cardiovascular diseases, and its occurrence at an earlier age favors accelerated vascular aging in the following years. The increase in blood pressure in adolescence does not usually occur in isolation and is associated with other risk factors such as excessive salt intake, reduced physical activity, and, especially, overweight/obesity., Considering that a high-fat percentage in childhood and adolescence has early adverse effects on blood pressure, adequate body fat measurements can determine more accurate markers of higher adiposity and predictors of the incidence of hypertension in younger individuals.
Major advances in technology are present in adolescents’ daily lives and generally favor physical inactivity and weight gain, which are directly related to blood pressure levels. In addition to a sedentary lifestyle strongly associated with hypertension in adolescence, physical exercise plays a protective role, reducing blood pressure by several mechanisms. A cross-sectional study with children and adolescents aged 11 to 17 years showed the association of male gender and central obesity with hypertension in these students. On the other hand, the same study pointed to moderate and vigorous physical activities as an effective way to prevent the increase in diastolic blood pressure in young people of this age.
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