Analysis of dozens of studies found that regular aerobic exercise, regardless of the type, frequency, or duration, can lower blood pressure. The results are published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
High blood pressure: a “modifiable” risk factor
High blood pressure - a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke - affects millions of adults. And, according to the authors, people who are less active and less fit have a 30-50% greater risk for high blood pressure.
Fortunately, research has shown that high blood pressure is a “modifiable” risk factor - that is to say, you can take steps to treat and even prevent it. Medications to treat high blood pressure are available, but lifestyle modifications, including diet and exercise, are often effective, too.
The effect of exercise
In this study, researchers from Tulane University in Louisiana analyzed the results of 54 different clinical trials involving 2,419 adults, to discover the effect of aerobic exercise on blood pressure readings. Exercises included activities such as walking, jogging, and biking, and ranged in frequency and duration. Overall, aerobic exercise lowered the average systolic blood pressure (the top number) by nearly 4 points, and lowered diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) by almost 3 points. That may seem like a small amount, but when translated to the effect on the whole population, the power of exercise to reduce the cardiovascular risk is impressive.
Benefits seen across the board
One of the interesting and encouraging aspects of this study is that aerobic exercise lowered blood pressure in a wide range of study participants, regardless of their ethnicity, baseline blood pressure, or weight. For example, exercise lowered blood pressure in both people with existing high blood pressure and people with blood pressure in the normal range, suggesting that it may help prevent high blood pressure from occurring in the first place.
How does it work?
The mechanism by which exercise lowers blood pressure remains unclear. Some people have proposed that weight loss due to increased exercise may be part of the process, but the results of this study suggest that weight loss is only part of the story. Even participants who did not lose weight as a result of exercise lowered their blood pressure.
How to get your heart pumping
Aerobic exercise is the kind of physical activity that makes you work up a sweat and breathe a little heavier. Most experts recommend doing some sort of sustained aerobic activity for at least 20 minutes a day at least three times a week, but more is better.
Brisk walking, biking, and low-impact aerobic dance and exercise classes all fall into the category of aerobic activities that provide major benefit at low risk of injury. So get moving!
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