Wearing body-sculpting underwear and compression sportswear poses risks for people with high blood pressure, Taipei-based cardiologist Chiu Chiung-zuan (邱俊仁) said.
Chiu, head of Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital’s department of cardiology, said that compression pants and body-sculpting underwear have a negative effect on blood circulation and cardiovascular health, especially for people who have high blood pressure.
A Ministry of Health and Welfare study estimated that as many as 240,000 people in Taiwan’s 18 to 39 age group are unaware that they have high blood pressure.
Chiu said that people with high blood pressure who wear body-sculpting clothing for prolonged periods might experience hypoxia due to excessive compression of the body, which can impede normal breathing and circulation, with symptoms including chest tightness, nausea and vertigo.
A 50-year-old female patient surnamed Liu (劉) developed headaches, neck stiffness, blurred vision, a tight chest, poor sleep, vertigo and dizzy spells as a result of wearing body-sculpting underwear combined with undiagnosed high blood pressure, Chiu said.
Liu one day fainted and her systolic blood pressure reading was 220 millimeters of mercury (mmHg). She was sent to the hospital’s emergency room, Chiu said.
Compression pants also pose a health risk to people with high blood pressure, Chiu said.
“Even for people with normal blood pressure, if they often wear the type of clothing that compresses the chest, stomach, hips and thighs, it can elevate their blood pressure,” he said.
Many people mistake symptoms of hypertension — headache, panting, stiff neck and shoulders, blurred vision — as only temporary reactions from mental stress or tiredness, Chiu said.
Smoking, eating a high-sodium diet, obesity and a lack of exercise are likely causes of high blood pressure, and people should actively monitor their health and seek treatment when necessary, Chiu said.
Chiu said that instead of wearing tight clothing to appear thinner, the healthier method is to reduce body weight by changing lifestyles, such as eating a balanced diet and food low in sodium, quitting smoking and exercising regularly.
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was sentenced to six months in prison, commutable to a fine, by the New Taipei District Court today for contravening the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) in a case linked to an alleged draft-dodging scheme. Wang allegedly paid NT$3.6 million (US$114,380) to an illegal group to help him evade mandatory military service through falsified medical documents, prosecutors said. He transferred the funds to Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), the alleged mastermind of a draft-evasion ring, although he lost contact with him as he was already in detention on fraud charges, they said. Chen is accused of helping a
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
RSS