Hypertension is the “silent killer”. How to avoid it? Important discovery by scientists

Proven content

Hypertension affects every fourth man and every fifth woman on Earth. Over a billion people in total struggle with it. Untreated high blood pressure actually destroys the entire body. Worse, most sick people don’t even know they have them. So what to do? It is best to avoid disease, and movement plays a huge role here. There is a condition that must be met for this to happen.

1. According to WHO data, one in four men and one in five women have hypertension – in total over a billion people on Earth
2. One of the more important ways to avoid high blood pressure is exercise (e.g. walking, cycling, sports, active rest and fun)
3.  Scientists have determined what condition must be met for exercise to prevent hypertension later in life
4. More current information can be found on the Onet homepage.

The following material was created as part of the #Prepare for movement campaign, encouraging Poles to increase their physical activity. We want to lift Poles off the couch and show that movement – simple exercises and dancing can change the quality of life. The action is carried out jointly with Zdrofit.

Hypertension has over a billion people on Earth

WHO Cautions: Hypertension is the leading cause of premature death, worldwide. If left untreated, it affects the entire body, increasing, among others, risk of heart disease (atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease), brain disease (stroke, dementia), kidney disease (damage to the glomeruli) … The risk of hypertension increases the older we are.

According to WHO estimates, this disease affects one in four men and one in five women – a total of over a billion people on Earth. Worse still, many people with hypertension do not know about their disease, hence they are often referred to as “the silent killer”. In Poland, about 11 million people struggle with hypertension, and even 40 percent. the sick don’t know he has them. The problem is that for many years arterial hypertension does not give any symptoms, and we do not check ourselves regularly. Doctors remind you that blood pressure should be measured at least once a year and blood tests should be performed, also for cholesterol.

We all know the saying that prevention is better than cure. Of course, this also applies to high blood pressure and, importantly, it won’t cost us anything. One of the key ways to avoid illness is exercise – this has been known for a long time. Now, however, it has turned out that there is a condition that must be met in order for this movement to have the desired effect – it prevented hypertension in middle and old age. Scientists have announced it after a three-decade study.

Movement Prevents Hypertension – When To Start?

The study was conducted by scientists from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). It was attended by over 5,1 thousand. adults from four American cities. For the purposes of the study, they were divided into four categories according to race and gender. For three decades, researchers tracked the health of the participants. The subjects completed questionnaires concerning exercise, smoking and alcohol consumption habits. Clinical evaluations were also performed during which blood pressure was measured three times one minute apart. What conclusions have been drawn?

Among the studied women and men in both racial groups, it was noticed that in people aged 18 – 40 the level of physical activity decreased (this trend continued over the following years, while the indicators of arterial hypertension increased). According to the researchers, this suggests that early adulthood is an important “window into interventions to help prevent hypertension in middle age” – health promotion programs aimed at increasing physical activity.

– Almost half of our young adult participants had suboptimal levels of physical activity, which was significantly associated with the development of hypertension. This suggests that we need to raise the minimum standard of physical activity, said lead author of the study, Dr. Jason Nagata, who specializes in youth medicine at UCSF.

Let us remind you that for adults aged 18 and over, the World Health Organization recommends exercising moderate exercise (covering all major muscle groups) for at least two hours a week.

Movement prevents hypertension, but there is a condition

In this study, the researchers also looked at people who spent five hours a week in moderate exercise in early adulthood (twice the amount currently recommended for adults). They found that their risk of developing high blood pressure was significantly lower, especially if they continued exercising until the age of 60.

“Maintaining a higher level of physical activity in early adulthood than previously recommended can be particularly important in preventing hypertension,” said study author and epidemiologist Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo. Scientists are talking about at least twofold increase in the guidelines for the minimum level of physical activity in adults.

The conclusion from the study is that if we want to protect ourselves from hypertension in the future, we must work on it from an early age, taking care of an appropriate dose of exercise until middle age. On the other hand, scientists recognize that in the face of the obligations accompanying adulthood (including work, family) and thus the shrinking free time, it is not easy to increase the weekly physical activity. “Teenagers and people in their 20s can be physically active, but these patterns change with age,” emphasized Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo.

Finally, some data from the World Health Organization:

One in four adults does not meet recommended levels of physical activity.

If the world population were more active, up to 5 million could be prevented. deaths annually.

Over 80 percent the world’s adolescent population does not lead a sufficiently active lifestyle.

People who are not active enough have 20-30 percent. greater risk of death compared with people who stay active.

You may be interested in:

1. Cardiovascular diseases are killing Poles. “We don’t care about our hearts, doctors are too passive”
2. The physical health of Poles on the brink. The disturbing results of the National Health Test of Poles 2020
3. 5 ways to get a flat stomach – diet, exercise, camouflage underwear, herbs, muscle stimulator

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