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Aerobic Exercise Reduces Blood Pressure

Posted: Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Exercise is good for your blood pressure -- no matter your age, weight, race or gender.

And it really doesn’t matter whether you get exercise from a brisk walk, a fast run or few laps in the pool; the results are equally as good. That’s the conclusion of a new study. Researchers conclude that almost any type of aerobic exercise is an effective tool for lowering blood pressure -- and that it works for just about everyone.

"Our report is the most comprehensive study in this area... it was able to provide an overall effect of exercise on blood pressure reduction across the board," says study author Dr. Jiang He, associate professor of epidemiology and medicine at Tulane University School of Public Health..

Rather than conduct new clinical trials, He and his group analyzed evidence from many previous trials showing links between aerobic exercise and blood pressure

While many of these studies concentrated on specific groups -- such as white men or overweight blacks -- by combining all the results and analyzing them in a new way, He was able to show a multi-varied effect of exercise on blood pressure in all groups. He also found that all types of aerobic exercise work equally well. These include walking, running, jogging and swimming. Aerobic exercise also works for both those taking medication for high blood pressure and those with normal pressure.

While experts don’t debate He’s findings, some say it’s important to note that the effects of exercise were modest at best, with an average per person drop in blood pressure of just 3-to-4 mm Hg.

This means that if a person had a slightly elevated blood pressure count of 130 (higher number) over 86 (lower number), the aerobic exercise regimen could lower it to about 125 over 81. The numbers most often cited as normal blood pressure are 120 over 80.

"This can be important for people with borderline hypertension, and when combined with other lifestyle modifications such as a change in diet and quitting smoking, can drop pressure enough to keep some people from having to use medication to control blood pressure," says hypertension expert Dr. Samuel J. Mann, an associate professor of medicine at New York Weill Cornell Medical Center.

But Mann cautions those with extremely high blood pressure not to rely on exercise alone in controlling hypertension. "Exercise is good for the heart, it’s good for the body, it’s good for your health and everyone should exercise regularly. The new study involved 2,419 adults included in 54 different trials on exercise and blood pressure.

The conclusion: On average, exercise helped study participants reduce systolic (top number) pressure by nearly 4 mm Hg, and diastolic (bottom number) pressure by slightly more than 2.5 mm Hg.

Source: Diabetes In Control: Annals of Internal Medicine August 17, 2006