Research
Energy balance
Arm girth alone does not independently cause elevated blood pressure; the association between large arms and high blood pressure is mediated by general adiposity (relative weight).
Having large arms does not cause high blood pressure. However, large arms are often a sign of overall higher body fat, which does raise blood pressure. Focus on overall weight management rather than worrying about arm size affecting your blood pressure reading.
GoodRefutesHIGH confidence
Arm girth produces no independent effect on blood pressure. Blood pressure and the rate of development of hypertension were distinctly related to relative weight and changes in weight under observation but not to upper arm girth independent of weight.
Why this rating
Cross-classification analysis controlling for relative weight.
Source
The Relation of Adiposity to Blood Pressure and Development of Hypertension
William B. Kannel et al. · Annals of Internal Medicine · 1967
DOI 10.7326/0003-4819-67-1-48
cohort · n=5127Cited 819×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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