NEW YORK: A man’s risk of developing high blood pressure rises along with his weight, even when it’s within normal range, according to a new study.

In a study of more than 13,000 male doctors, researchers found that the higher a man’s body mass index (BMI) was at the outset, the higher his risk of developing high blood pressure over the next 15 years. This was true even among men who were normal-weight or mildly overweight.

Dr Rebecca P. Gelber and colleagues at Harvard Medical School report the findings in the American Journal of Hypertension.

Numerous studies have linked excess pounds to high blood pressure, including ones showing that overweight and obese adults can lower their risk by losing weight. But the current findings suggest that pounds affect blood pressure.

The results are based on data from the Physicians’ Health Study, a project begun in 1982 that has followed more than 22,000 US male doctors. Gelber and her colleagues focused on 13,563 men who were free of high blood pressure at the study’s start.

The link between weight and blood pressure persisted when the researchers considered other factors, like age, smoking, diabetes and exercise habits.—Reuters