OBJECTIVE: To compare blood pressure, lipid profile, food intake, and anthropometric data of adolescents with or without a familial history of hypertension. METHODS: Forty-three adolescents from both sexes were assessed, with ages ranging from 11 to 18 years old. Twenty had hypertensive parents, and 23 had normotensive parents. The following variables were examined: blood pressure, food intake, anthropometric data, lipid profile, and the results of following dietary guidelines (American Heart Association). RESULTS: The offspring of hypertensive parents had greater baseline systolic blood pressure (109 ± 3 vs. 99 ± 2 mm Hg, P=0.01), diastolic blood pressure (68 ± 2 vs. 62 ± 2 mm Hg, p=0.04), greater TC/HDL-C ratio (4.1 ± 0.3 vs. 3.2 ± 0.2, P<0.01), and greater LDL/HDL-C (2.7 ± 0.2 vs. 1.9 ± 0.1, P<0.01), and smaller values of HDL-C (43 ± 2 vs.53 ± 2 mg/dL, P<0.005). Dietary intake and anthropometric measures assessed did not differ between the groups. Even though dietary intervention resulted in reductions in body mass index (21.0± 1.2 vs. 20.1 ± 1.1 kg/m², P<0.01), it did not change dyslipidemia present in the offspring of hypertensive individuals. CONCLUSION: Increased blood pressure levels and less favorable lipid profiles are found among offspring of hypertensive parents, where low levels of HDL-C were the most relevant finding regardless of anthropometric or nutritional variables.
adolescence; blood pressure; dietary habits; lipids
