Walking briskly for two and a half hours a week can reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure, claim scientists.
A
new study has revealed how even moderate exercise can reduce the risk
of high blood pressure - known as hypertension - in people with a family
history of the disease by 26 per cent. Previous
studies have shown parental history accounts for about 35 per cent to
65 per cent of the variability in blood pressure among offspring, with
varying levels of risk on which parent developed it and the age of
onset.
Researchers
followed a group of 6,278 adults aged 20 to 80 for an average 4.7 years,
with 33 per cent reporting a parent had hypertension. When
the study began, all participants were healthy, reported no diagnosis
of hypertension and achieved an exercise test score of at least 85 per
cent of their age-predicted heart rate.
Researchers
also determined their cardio-respiratory fitness using a treadmill
exercise test. During the study, 1,545 participants reported they had
developed hypertension.
Source - Daily Mail
