Fat and Blood Pressure: what is the connection?

Ritesh Bawri

11 Jan 2025 — 2 min read

If your blood pressure is high, chances are that your doctor advised you to lose weight. She may not have been specific, but she was asking you to reduce body fat.

But what exactly is the connection between body fat and blood pressure?

High body fat invariable means high visceral (abdominal) fat. Elevated fat in the abdomen requires an increase in the blood volume.

Put simply, your body needs more blood to feed more mass.

Higher blood volume within the same artery or vein results in higher pressure.

Excess abdominal fat results in low grade inflammation. This creates a condition known as a cytokine storm.

A cytokine storm damages the lining of your blood vessels, increasing the blood pressure.

Inflammation creates a fight-flight condition in your body. Your body assumes there is a crisis. Your nervous system will respond by being in a chronic state of stress.

The only possible solution is an increase in oxygen, which needs more blood flow.

Your blood pressure and pulse will both increase.

Fat reduces the availability of Nitric Oxide. Nitric Oxide helps dilate (open) your blood vessels, helping blood flow better.

Due to lower levels of nitric oxide, your blood vessels get constricted, increasing pressure.

If your body fat is high, there is a high probability that you might have sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a condition where your airways are blocked during sleep. The increased need for oxygen because of the blockage will increase the flow of blood.

Yes, you guessed it. Your pressure will rise.

It is for this reason that I repeatedly emphasize that excess body fat is not an optical problem but a medical one.

We have been seduced by industry to stop talking about weight as an embarassing, awkward problem that ideally should be spoken about in hushed tones. Lest we offend someone.

But we wouldnt say the same thing if you have 105°F fever would we?

Reach out to me on twitter @rbawri Instagram @riteshbawriofficial and YouTube at www.youtube.com/breatheagain

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