HypertensionCohort study
Weight change and short-term risk of hypertension in healthy adults
- Retrospective cohort study
Authors' conclusion
Weight gain was associated with higher risk of antihypertensive treatment across BMI categories compared with stable weight, whereas weight loss was inversely associated with initiation among adults with overweight or obesity.
Study context
- Population
- Adults aged 18–79 in the Danish Blood Donor Study with at least two questionnaires (2010–2025)
- Participants
- 81,954 adults
- Exposure
- Weight change categories vs stable weight, across body mass index (BMI) categories
- Outcome
- Incident hypertension (first redemption of antihypertensive drugs)
- Follow-up
- Median 1.66 years (maximum 3 years)
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Antihypertensive treatment initiation, >10% weight gain vs stable normal weight
>10% gain vs Stable weightHazard ratio (95% CI)
normal weight; reference stable normal weight
1.60(1.30–1.96)
overweight; reference stable normal weight
2.44(2.02–2.96)
obesity; reference stable normal weight
4.51(3.57–5.70)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
By sex and age
- HRs comparable across sex and age groups, although higher in younger men with obesity; rates highest in older participants
Original publication
Weight change and short-term risk of hypertension in healthy adults. Eur J Prev Cardiol. Published 15 July 2026. doi:10.1093/eurjpc/zwag356
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it