López-Fontana CM, Martínez-González MA, Sanchez-Villegas A, Martínez JA

Language: Spanish
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ABSTRACT

Obesity is associated to a number of cardiovascular risk factors which include hypertension, increased heart rate, insulin resistance, etc. The aim of this study was to assess the influences of weight loss and habitual physical activity on blood pressure and heart rate in obese women. A sample of 40 healthy obese women from 20 to 50 years old was enrolled for the study. It consisted of a measurement of physical activity by a frequency questionnaire, a nutritional intervention during 10 weeks with an energy- restricted diet designed to loss weight and an initial and final clinical day in which several determinations were performed. Volunteers presented an initial mean BMI of 37.2 kg/m2 and a mean percentage of body fat mass of 43.3%. The baseline weight was directly correlated with the initial heart rate (p<0.05) and the participants with more physical activity showed a larger reduction of the heart rate and the diastolic blood pressure with a weight loss of 7.6 kg after the nutritional intervention. Weight loss and habitual physical activity are involved in the decrease in heart rate and blood pressure, which participate in reducing the cardiovascular risk associated to obesity.