A Closer Look at Exercise Physiology

The Ups and Downs of Hypertension and Exercise

When blood pressure is up, one way to bring it down is to
increase the level of physical activity. Research studies have
demonstrated that participation in aerobic activities protects
against the development of hypertension. Furthermore, exercise
can be used as a therapy to reduce hypertension once it has
already developed.
Antihypertensive medication is available to lower blood
pressure in severely hypertensive patients, but sometimes
undesirable side effects occur. The side effects of diuretics
include electrolyte imbalances, inability to handle glucose
normally, and raised blood cholesterol levels. The side effects of
drugs that manipulate total peripheral resistance include
increased blood triglyceride levels, lower HDL cholesterol levels
(the good form of cholesterol), weight gain, sexual dysfunction,
and depression.
Patients with mild hypertension, arbitrarily defined as a
diastolic blood pressure between 90 and 100 mm Hg and a
systolic pressure of 160 mm Hg, pose a dilemma for physicians.
The risks of taking the drugs may outweigh the benefits gained
from lowering the blood pressure. Because of the drug therapys
possible side effects, nondrug treatment of mild hypertension
may be most beneficial. The most common nondrug therapies
are weight reduction, salt restriction, and exercise.
Although losing weight will almost always reduce blood
pressure, research has shown that weight-reduction programs
usually result in the loss of only 12 pounds, and the overall longterm success in keeping the weight off is only about 20%. Salt
restriction is beneficial for many hypertensives, but adherence to
a low salt diet is difficult for many people because fast foods and
foods prepared in restaurants usually contain high amounts of
salt.
The preponderance of evidence in the literature suggest
that moderate aerobic exercise performed for 15 to 60 minutes
three times per week is a beneficial therapy in most cases of mild
to moderate hypertension. It is wise, therefore, to include a
regular aerobic exercise program along with other therapeutic
measures to optimally reduce high blood pressure. If more

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convenient, the total exercise time on a given day may even be

split up into smaller sessions and still provide the same benefits.
Topik : How to reduce hypertension