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Blood Pressure Up? Walk It Down

High blood pressure has been called the "silent killer." This is because you can have high blood pressure (hypertension) without knowing it. Untreated, it can lead to heart attacks and strokes. It is estimated that 43 million adults in the United States are hypertensive. Men and postmenopausal women are the most likely to have hypertension.

Medication used to be the first treatment for hypertension. Today, doctors recommend lifestyle changes first, such as regular physical activity and exercise along with changes in diet. From observing many people over a long time, researchers have been able to show that health improves and blood pressure goes down with physical activity. As a result, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have announced activity guidelines for all adults in the United States.

These guidelines recommend that adults build up to at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most days of the week. This activity can be in small amounts such as 10 minutes at a time throughout the day, or it can be done all at once. It can include household or work-related activities. It can also be simple exercise such as walking.

These suggestions are for the general public. What about specific groups more likely to develop hypertension? For example, will this kind of physical activity lower blood pressure in menopausal women? Researchers set out to answer this question. The participants were 24 postmenopausal women who were just beginning to develop high blood pressure called "stage 1 hypertension." Without changing anything else in their lifestyle, these women began a 24-week walking program.

Each woman walked at a comfortable pace (2.5 to 4.0 mph) for three kilometers (1.88 miles). Blood pressure at rest was taken before starting the program. This measurement was repeated at 12 weeks and at 24 weeks. The results? Blood pressure was reduced at 12 weeks and again at 24 weeks. Some women showed a return to normal blood pressure by the end of the study.

Thirty minutes of moderate-intensity activity every day seems to benefit postmenopausal women who have increased blood pressure. Walking less than two miles a day at your own pace is a proven way to reduce blood pressure. Lowering your blood pressure also decreases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and death.

References: Kerrie L. Moreau, Ph.D., et al. Increasing Daily Walking Lowers Blood Pressure in Postmenopausal Women. In Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. November 2001. Vol. 33. No. 11. Pp. 1825-1831.

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