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Relation of body mass index, physical fitness, and the cardiovascular risk profile in 3127 young normal weight men with an apparently optimal lifestyle

International Journal of Obesity volume 27, pages 979–982 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

Obesity is a well-accepted cardiovascular risk factor associated with hypertension and hyperlipidaemia. A body mass index (BMI) within the range of 18.5–25 kg/m2 is considered normal. To prevent cardiovascular diseases regular physical activity and abstinence from smoking are strongly recommended. Since it is not evident that a lower optimal threshold exists concerning cardiovascular risk factors if other lifestyle conditions are apparently optimised, we studied the relation between BMI and vascular risk factors in 3127 hyperhealthy Caucasian males. They were aged between 18 and 23 y, were nonsmokers, without regular alcohol intake, and had at least 3 h of sports activity per week. Their BMI was below 25 kg/m2. Low BMI revealed to be significantly associated with high physical fitness, low blood pressure, and low serum lipids. The lower the BMI was, the more favourable these parameters were. Thus, the threshold for an optimal BMI concerning cardiovascular risk factors might be far below 25 kg/m2 even if other lifestyle conditions are apparently optimal.

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Acknowledgements

The work resulting in this report was partly performed under German Federal Ministry of Defence Contract 21L2-S-200103 (BMVg InSan I 1) and German Air Force Institute of Aviation Medicine (GAF IAM) STAN-Research Approval 01-2002. JRO and JM contributed equally to the study. The opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or official policy of the German Federal Ministry of Defence or the GAF Flight Surgeon General. We gratefully acknowledge the technical assistance of Vera Mevissen and the support of the medical assistants of Div. I at GAF IAM.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Clinic I, University Hospital of Aachen, Aachen, Germany

    J R Ortlepp & R Hoffmann

  2. German Air Force Institute of Aviation Medicine, Furstenfeldbruck, Germany

    J Metrikat, M Albrecht, P Maya-Pelzer & H Pongratz

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  1. J R Ortlepp
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  2. J Metrikat
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  3. M Albrecht
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  4. P Maya-Pelzer
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  5. H Pongratz
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  6. R Hoffmann
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Correspondence to J R Ortlepp.

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Ortlepp, J., Metrikat, J., Albrecht, M. et al. Relation of body mass index, physical fitness, and the cardiovascular risk profile in 3127 young normal weight men with an apparently optimal lifestyle. Int J Obes 27, 979–982 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0802319

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