Relationship of fat mass and fat distribution to blood pressure

The relationship of fat mass, lean body mass (LBM), and fat distribution to blood pressure was examined in Japanese adult men and women. Percent body fat was estimated using two skinfold thicknesses, and fat mass and LBM were then calculated. Correlation coefficients showed that fat mass, fat distribution, and age were weakly associated with blood pressure levels, and that the correlation coefficients of LBM to blood pressure levels were nearly zero. Stepwise regression analysis revealed that fat mass and age contributed significantly to the variations in blood pressure levels. In addition, only in the case of men, trunk-extremity skinfolds ratio was also entered into the model for diastolic and mean arterial blood pressure. It thus has been concluded that fat mass may be the more predictive determinant of blood pressure level than LBM in the Japanese population, and that the independent correlation of fat distribution to blood pressure is rather small.