Metabolic disorder and obesity in 5027 Brazilian postmenopausal women

To evaluate the frequency of obesity in postmenopausal women and assess the potential effects of increased body mass index (BMI) on lipoprotein profile and on risk factors for arterial hypertension and diabetes.

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 5027 postmenopausal Brazilian women. Analyses were performed of BMI and cardiovascular factors (systemic blood pressure [BP], total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein [HDL-C], triglyceride, and fast glucose). The statistical analysis included the chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests. The significance level was set at 5%.

Obesity (BMI >30) in our study characterized approximately 30% of the 5027 postmenopausal women. The comparison of patients with normal BMI and those with high BMI showed that high BMI had a significant negative effect on BP, as evidenced by the increased frequency of hypertension in overweight and obese patients (>25) (p < 0.001), that it also negatively and significantly affected triglyceride (p < 0.001) and fast glucose levels (p < 0.001), and that it was linked significantly to low levels of HDL-C.

Our data showed the high frequency of obesity in our population and of the cardiovascular risks (glucose, systemic arterial hypertension, and low HDL-C) associated with high BMI.