AHA statement recommends increased physical activity to reduce BP, cholesterol

A new scientific statement from the American Heart Association published in High blood pressure It is recommended to increase physical activity to help adults with mild to moderate increases in blood pressure and lower blood cholesterol.

“Everyone should be prescribed a healthy lifestyle, which is the first choice for most adults who have mild to moderate increases in blood pressure and cholesterol and are otherwise at low risk. It ’s a cure. ” Dr. Bethany Barone Gibbs, FAHA, Associate Professor of Health and Human Development and Clinical and Translation Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh told Healio: “Prescribing physical activity is the best non-pharmacological option for treating hypertension and elevated cholesterol. It is one and has many other health benefits. “

According to an AHA press release, 28% of adults in the United States have LDL levels above 70 mg / dL, but meet the criteria of low risk of CHD or stroke. Similarly, 21% of adults in the United States have systolic blood pressure from 120 mm Hg to 139 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure from 80 mm Hg to 89 mm Hg, but according to the release, many of them have CHD or stroke. It meets the criteria of low risk. ..

Lifestyle changes

For these populations, this statement highlights lifestyle changes to control elevated blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Including increased physical activity, Weight loss, improved eating habits, smoking cessation, alcohol savings.

The authors recommend moderate to high-intensity aerobic exercise for 90 to 150 minutes per week and dynamic resistance exercise for 90 to 150 minutes per week. These recommendations are based on previous studies showing that more physically active people have a 21% lower risk of developing CVD and a 36% lower risk of cardiovascular mortality than inactive people. Is based. In addition, increased physical activity improves blood pressure, cholesterol, glycemic abnormalities, inflammation, hemostatic factors, body composition, and vascular function.

Among overweight or obese people, experts recommend an ideal weight or a weight loss goal of at least 5% to lower blood pressure and improve blood cholesterol. To do so, the statement emphasizes calorie restriction as the most recommended way to promote weight loss in these individuals. Weight loss is comparable to that observed in both BP and blood cholesterol physical activity. It showed a beneficial effect.

Recommendations for improving your diet include increased intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, and seafood, as well as regular intake of legumes and nuts. In addition, reduce lean and processed meats, refined grains, sugar-containing foods and beverages, and reduce intake. Saturated fat and sodium It also reduces the risk of CVD.

Smoking, drinking

Smoking cessation is not listed as the best lifestyle change to lower blood pressure and blood cholesterol, but smoking is a major risk factor for CVD. Smoking cessation may improve both adverse consequences, as smoking is known to have adverse cardiovascular effects, such as high blood pressure, which increases the risk of cardiovascular events such as stroke, the authors write. I have.

High alcohol intake is a major risk factor for reversible hypertension and is also associated with stroke and all-cause mortality. The new statement recommends reducing alcohol intake to no more than two glasses a day, as moderate alcohol intake reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by 25% to 30%.

“We need to better study how to enable more people to become active and continue to work. This can be of great help in reducing high blood pressure and high cholesterol at the population level. “Yes,” Gibbs said in an interview. “Strengthening physical activity by prescribing patients can be part of that solution.”

For more information:

Dr. Bethany Barone Gibbs, FAHA, Contact us at [email protected].