ANALYSIS OF CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS IN YOUNG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS ACCORDING TO THEIR NUTRITIONAL STATUS

Background: obesity is one of the most serious not transmissible illnesses and prevalent at present, it is considered a major risk factor for the cardiovascular disease and is associated with the development of insulin resistance, intolerance to the glucose, arterial hypertension and metabolic syndrome. Objective: the purpose of the study is to analyze the nutritional status in young university students and its association with cardiovascular risk factors. Patients and methods: there were evaluated 153 university students, 51 men and 102 women between 17 and 33 years old. Anthropometric measurements were made by BMI and waist circumference, systolic and diastolic pressure, cholesterol, HDL cholesterol (HDL), LDL cholesterol (LDL), triglycerides and blood glucose. Results: the variables HDL cholesterol (p = 0.000) and systolic pressure (p = 0.043) showed significant differences in comparison by gender. The 35.29% presented overweight or obesity. In the comparison by nutritional status; the contour waist, systolic and diastolic pressure showed significant differences (p < 0.05). To relate the state nutritional variables with the plasma and the blood pressure, this presented association with cholesterol levels, LDL-cholesterol, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (p < 0.05). The Contour waist presented partnership with the pressure systolic and diastolic (p < 0.05). Conclusions: there is a high prevalence of malnutrition in the sample of young university students; in addition it is associated with cardiovascular risk factors, being the obese students those who present major deterioration in all the evaluated variables