Regular exercise can significantly lower the risk of high blood pressure, including for those with a family history of hypertension, according to a new American Heart Association study.
“The results of this study lead to the practical message that even a very moderate amount of exercise – we mean vigorous walking for a total of 150 minutes a week – can benefit your health. It is especially about people with a genetic predisposition to arterial hypertension, ”said the author of the study, Robin Shook.
Researchers watched almost 6,3 thousand. athletic people aged 20 to 80 for almost five years. In this group, a third had at least one parent with raised blood pressure. These people had 34 percent. less chance of this condition than other unfit people with a family history of the condition.
In total, over 1,5 thousand participants developed hypertension during the study. Those of the respondents who exercised the most had 42 percent. a lower chance of illness, regardless of family predispositions. Moderately athletic reduced their risk by 26%.
By comparison, a recent study published in Hypertension found that people who are unfit and have family history of hypertension are 70 percent less than they do. more likely to have high blood pressure than athletic people. In addition, among people exercising, family predispositions increased the risk of developing the disease by only 16%.
“The correlation between physical condition, family history and risk of developing the disease cannot be ignored,” said Shook of the University of South Carolina. – Such knowledge can help find effective and rational ways of avoiding diseases that affect family members and, in some cases, entire generations.
The American Heart Association recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise, such as brisk walking, five times a week, HealthDay said.