Key result
High body adiposity and waist circumference are linked to increased blood pressure and sympathetic activity.
Why the study?
Obesity and hypertension are major public health problems, while cardiac autonomic dysfunction is linked to cardiovascular risk factors, prompting investigation into their relationships with physical activity.
Cross-Sectional (n=285)
p-value: p=0.000
High body adiposity and low physical activity are associated with increased blood pressure, and increased waist circumference is linked to a higher risk of autonomic dysfunction.
Adiposity-BP and waist-sympathetic associations are hypothesis-generating; prospective studies needed before practice change.
Introduction: Obesity and high blood pressure are complex and multifactorial health problems that represent serious public health issues. Physical activity is a powerful protective factor in the treatment of these comorbidities. Cardiac autonomic dysfunction has been shown to be strongly associated with cardiovascular risk factors and several other comorbidities. Objective: To associate the level of adiposity, blood pressure, physical activity, and cardiac autonomic dysfunction. Methods: This cross-sectional, population-based study included 285 individuals (average age: 45.1 ± 16.3 years) of both sexes. Body composition, blood pressure, and heart rate variability were assessed, along with physical activity levels. Spearman and Chi-square correlation tests were performed. For association analysis, binary logistic regression (Odds Ratio) was used. Results: There was a significant association between body adiposity and both systolic and diastolic blood pressure for both sexes (p=0.000). Additionally, a significant association was found between waist circumference and sympathetic nervous activity in the overall sample (p=0.003). Men individuals with high waist circumference were more likely to have low levels of parasympathetic activity, as indicated by the SDNN (Standard deviation of all NN intervals) variable (p=0.002). Regarding physical activity, there was a significant association with blood pressure. After adjusting for age, insufficiently active individuals were more likely to develop arterial hypertension (p=0.08). Conclusion: There is an association between high body adiposity and low levels of physical activity with increased blood pressure, and increased waist circumference is linked to a higher risk of autonomic dysfunction, thus raising the risk of diseases.
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Moura et al. (2025) conducted a cross-sectional in Cardiac autonomic dysfunction and hypertension (n=285). High body adiposity and low physical activity vs. Lower adiposity and higher physical activity was evaluated on Association between body adiposity and both systolic and diastolic blood pressure (p=0.000). High body adiposity was significantly associated with increased systolic and diastolic blood pressure (p=0.000), and increased waist circumference was linked to higher sympathetic nervous activity (p=0.003).
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