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Overweight
Boys More Prone to Stress
Overweight boys carry a heavier burden of stress-related
blood pressure increases and a decreased ability to regain
normal blood pressure than overweight girls, says a Medical
College of Georgia (MCG) study.
The study of 151 boys and 141 girls aged 15 to 18 found
that while overweight girls tend to have a greater height/weight
ratio, their blood pressures respond less to stress than
overweight boys. The study also found the girls' natural
mechanisms for decreasing blood pressure work much better.
"What we observed is that the boys had higher levels
of blood pressure throughout, including during stress and
recovery, but they did not show an equally greater level
of sodium excretion to compensate for higher levels of blood
pressure during stress," principal author Dr. Gregory
A. Harshfield says in a prepared statement.
"What we are showing is that the mechanisms driving
salt-sensitive hypertension are having more impact in males
than females," Harshfield says.
The study appears in the December issue of Hypertension.
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Article Source: Reuters Health
Article Author: N/A
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