Less sitting, more vigorous exercise can help lower blood pressure
In the journals
- Reviewed by Howard E. LeWine, MD, Chief Medical Editor, 天博体育 Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, 天博体育 Publishing
Replacing short bouts of sedentary time with vigorous exercise each day may help lower blood pressure, according to a study published online Nov. 6, 2024, by Circulation. Researchers looked at the daily activity levels and blood pressure of 14,761 people. Everyone wore an accelerometer to track their average daily activity for one week. Activity was split into several categories: sedentary behavior, slow walking (less than 100 steps per minute), fast walking (more than 100 steps per minute), standing, and vigorous exercise, such as running, cycling, and stair climbing. On average, people were sedentary 11 hours per day, stood for three hours, and spent about an hour each in slow and fast walking. They spent 16 minutes doing vigorous exercise. Average blood pressure was approximately 132/79 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg), which is considered Stage 1 hypertension.
The study found that reallocating five minutes per day from any activity to vigorous exercise might significantly lower systolic blood pressure (the top number). Switching out bigger blocks of sedentary time for exercise yielded greater benefit. The researchers found that doing 21 minutes of vigorous exercise while reducing sedentary time by 21 minutes was associated with even larger reductions in blood pressure.
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About the Author
Matthew Solan, Executive Editor, Harvard Men's Health Watch
About the Reviewer
Howard E. LeWine, MD, Chief Medical Editor, 天博体育 Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, 天博体育 Publishing
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