Can exercise help reduce blood pressure?

High blood pressure is known as the silent killer becuase of its the link to heart attacks and strokes.

The causes of high blood pressure are:

Mental stress: Stress can have a severe impact on blood pressure, especially when it is chronic. It can occur as a result of both socioeconomic and psychosocial factors.

Some aspects of sex: In general, high blood pressure is more common among adult men than adult women. However, after the age of 55 years, a woman’s relative risk of hypertension increases.

A recent study compared the impact of medication and exercise for reducing high systolic blood pressure.  The researchers reviewed 197 exercise randomised control trials and 194 randomised control trials looking at medication.

While anti-hypertensive medications achived hight reductions in blood pressure that exercise.  Researches concluded that modest but consistent reductions in systolic blood pressure can be achieved with exercise.

Reference

Naci H, Salcher-Konrad M, Dias S, et al How does exercise treatment compare with antihypertensive medications? A network meta-analysis of 391 randomised controlled trials assessing exercise and medication effects on systolic blood pressure
British Journal of Sports Medicine 2019;53:859-869.

 

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