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Fasting blood glucose is independently associated with resting and exercise blood pressures and development of
Jørgen V Bjørnholt1, Gunnar Erikssen, Sverre E Kjeldsen
1Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Akerhus, Norway. jobjorn@online.no
Objective:
To assess whether fasting blood glucose is independently related to blood pressure at rest and during exercise, and to development of elevated blood pressure.
Design:
Cross-sectional and prospective cohort study of 2014 apparently healthy middle-aged men.
Methods:
The baseline survey included carefully standardized blood pressure measurements at rest and during exercise testing, an intravenous glucose tolerance test and a panel of fasting blood tests, including fasting blood glucose. Results from 7-years follow-up provided data on development of elevated blood pressure.
Results:
Strong associations were found between quartiles of fasting blood glucose and baseline resting and/or exercise levels of blood pressure, and also development of elevated blood pressure over 7 years. Physical fitness, calculated from an exercise test, had a strong modulating effect on blood pressure at all levels of fasting blood glucose. In multivariate models - after adjusting for intravenous glucose tolerance, physical fitness, age, body mass index, triglycerides and cholesterol - fasting blood glucose was strongly associated with blood pressure at rest (coefficient = 2.83, P = 0.0004) and during exercise (coefficient = 6.57, P < 0.0001), and further to development of treated hypertension and/or elevated blood pressure [odds ratio (OR), 1.17; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.05-1.31].
Conclusion:
In healthy non-diabetic and non-hypertensive men, strong associations were found between fasting blood glucose and blood pressure at rest and during exercise and to development of elevated blood pressure after 7-years follow-up. Fasting glucose metabolism deserves scrutiny when studying the pathogenesis of hypertension.
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