We aimed at determining whether body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) are associated with heart rate recovery (HRR) and to demonstrate which of the three indices of obesity, is the strongest predictor of HRR in apparently healthy non-obese adults. Three hundred and twenty-five subjects aged 18-66 years participated in the study. Anthropometric indices were measured, and subjects performed cycle ergometer exercise at 75-85% maximum heart rate. Heart rate (HR) was measured during the last minute of exercise and in the first minute of post-exercise recovery. A partial correlation test and a multiple linear regression analysis, after adjusting for age and peak oxygen uptake indicated that the best predictors of HRR were BMI in males and WHR in females. The present data suggest that, HRR is independently related to indices of obesity-BMI, WC, and WHR and strengthen the usefulness of these anthropometric indices in predicting cardiovascular risks. In addition, the findings suggest that BMI in men and WHR in women best express the relationship between obesity and cardiovascular risks.

We aimed at investigating whether the degree of adiposity is related to haemodynamic variables such as systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and resting heart rate (HR), and to haemodynamic abnormalities such as hypertension and resting tachycardia. A cross-sectional study was carried out among young students in Ebonyi State University, Nigeria. A total of 710 subjects (350 males and 360 females) aged 20-25 years were recruited for the study. Resting blood pressure and HR of subjects were measured and the body mass index (BMI) was calculated from height and weight measurements. The observed prevalences in this study were as follows: overweight, 20% in males and 26% in females; obesity, 8% in males and 6% in females; hypertension, 17% in males and 14% in females; and resting tachycardia, 22% in males and 24% in females. In both genders, BMI showed significant correlations (Po0.001 or Po0.01 or Po0.05) with SBP, DBP and HR after controlling for age and physical activity status, and SBP indicated the strongest association with BMI. Furthermore, the prevalence of hypertension and tachycardia increased with an increase in BMI level, whereas overweight/obese subjects indicated significantly higher risk of hypertension than did the non-overweight/obese controls. The present findings therefore strengthen the previously reported usefulness of BMI in predicting cardiovascular risks and add to our understanding of the early development of obesity-related cardiovascular abnormalities in young adults and the need to prevent obesity early in life and to avoid its unfavourable lifethreatening consequences later in life.