Weight, hypertension linked to heart risks

If you are overweight, new research shows how important it is to control your blood pressure besides trying to lose those extra pounds.

Scientists studying nearly 250,000 people in France found that only overweight people who also had high blood pressure were at significantly greater risk of dying of heart-related problems than normal-weight people. Overweight people with normal blood pressure faced no increased risk.

This doesn't mean that extra pounds aren't dangerous, because overweight people are more likely to develop blood pressure problems.

But it does for the first time show that blood pressure may be an important "mediator" or mechanism by which excess weight can cause heart problems, said one expert who reviewed the work, Dr. Frank Hu, an associate professor at the Harvard School of Public Health.

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