title: Fasting blood glucose is independently associated with resting and exercise blood pressures and development of elevated blood pressure.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess whether fasting blood glucose is independently related to blood pressure at rest and during exercise, and to development of elevated blood pressure.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional and prospective cohort study of 2014 apparently healthy middle-aged men.
  
  
  METHODS
  The baseline survey included carefully standardized blood pressure measurements at rest and during exercise testing, an intravenous glucose tolerance test and a panel of fasting blood tests, including fasting blood glucose. Results from 7-years follow-up provided data on development of elevated blood pressure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Strong associations were found between quartiles of fasting blood glucose and baseline resting and/or exercise levels of blood pressure, and also development of elevated blood pressure over 7 years. Physical fitness, calculated from an exercise test, had a strong modulating effect on blood pressure at all levels of fasting blood glucose. In multivariate models - after adjusting for intravenous glucose tolerance, physical fitness, age, body mass index, triglycerides and cholesterol - fasting blood glucose was strongly associated with blood pressure at rest (coefficient = 2.83, P = 0.0004) and during exercise (coefficient = 6.57, P < 0.0001), and further to development of treated hypertension and/or elevated blood pressure [odds ratio (OR), 1.17; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.05-1.31].
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In healthy non-diabetic and non-hypertensive men, strong associations were found between fasting blood glucose and blood pressure at rest and during exercise and to development of elevated blood pressure after 7-years follow-up. Fasting glucose metabolism deserves scrutiny when studying the pathogenesis of hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Akerhus, Norway. jobjorn@online.no
authors.forename: Jørgen V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Bjørnholt
authors.forename: Gunnar
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Erikssen
authors.forename: Sverre E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Kjeldsen
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bodegård
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Thaulow
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Erikssen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005215:Fasting; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012146:Rest / Q000502:physiology*; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose