Paper
Antihypertensive medication with beta-blockers and ACE-inhibitors-effects on weight gain associated with ageing.
Published Sep 1, 2003 · C. Dzien-Bischinger, F. Hoppichler, M. Lechleitner
Age and ageing
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Abstract
SIR—Body weight increases with increasing age [1, 2]. Beside various genetic and environmental factors, certain drug therapies can promote weight gain, including antihypertensive medication with beta-blockers [3], while angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitors improve insulin sensitivity [4] and might thus reveal more favourable effects on body weight. In order to study the possible effects of these antihypertensive treatment regimens on the increase in body weight associated with ageing we have evaluated the clinical data of 414 middle aged and elderly patients attending our medical outpatient clinic between 1997 and 2002. The mean age of the 201 female patients was 71.6±10.1 years, the mean age of the 213 male patients 66.1±11.7 years. Patients were on continuous antihypertensive monotherapy for at least one year, 224 patients (114 women and 110 men) were treated with ACEinhibitors and 190 patients (128 women and 62 men) with beta-blockers; the mean observation period was 3.2±0.7 years. All patients received the same dietary advice about a reduction of fat and sodium intake. Body weight was measured in the morning in the fasting state; weight gain was deWned as the increase in body weight from the start of antihypertensive medication to the latest control. The mean weight gain under ACE-inhibitor or beta-blocker therapy was assigned to age decades between 50 and >80 years of age. Differences between the groups were analysed by Student’s t-test. In the age-decade between 50 and 59 years weight gain with beta-blocker therapy was 1.4± 0.2 kg and signiWcantly greater than under therapy with ACEinhibitors (0.7± 0.3 kg; P< 0.029) (Figure 1). Also in the age decade between 60 and 69 years the weight gain with beta-blocker therapy was more pronounced (1.5± 0.5 kg) than with ACE-inhibitors (0.5± 0.4 kg; P< 0.035), while patients older than 70 years revealed only a small increase
Observational StudyBeta-blocker therapy promotes weight gain more than ACE-inhibitor therapy in middle aged and elderly patients, while older patients show only a small increase in body weight.
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