What is the mechanism behind high blood pressure in obesity?

ISLAMABAD -- Many people with obesity also develop high blood pressure, but the mechanism that leads to this remains unclear. A new study using human tissue samples and mouse models may now have found an explanation. Obesity is a top risk factor for elevated blood pressure, though researchers remain unsure as to the exact mechanisms underlying this relationship. Past research has suggested that to find the mechanism that mediates the relationship between obesity and high blood pressure, scientists should look to the endothelium - that is, the cellsthat line the insides of blood vessels. In a new study, researchers from the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville have done precisely that. They turned their attention to the endothelium to try to find out exactly how obesity can lead to high blood pressure.

To do so, they studied potential mechanisms in human tissue samples and in mouse models. They report their findings in a study paper in the journal Circulation. How calcium signaling becomes impaired In their study paper, the investigators explain that to regulate blood flow, vessels dilate and contract as appropriate. This happens due to calcium signaling: Calcium ions communicate with cells, regulating vasodilation by effectively telling the vessels when to dilate. In obesity...