Americans with blood pressure or cholesterol levels slightly higher than optimal have plenty of company.
Millions of adults in the United States share a similar mild to moderate risk of heart disease, but they can improve these levels simply by making lifestyle changes as the first line of treatment, particularly exercise, according to a recent scientific statement from the American Heart Association.
The paper provided guidance to doctors on how to “prescribe” more physical activity to these patients. That’s often not a comfort zone for doctors who know how to prescribe medication but doesn’t necessarily mean lifestyle changes, said Bethany Barone Gibbs, vascular researcher and chair of the group that wrote the report.
Patients, on the other hand, may feel intimidated when asked to exercise more, but the “recipe” shouldn’t be off-putting.
“We really wanted to make sure that all clinicians feel empowered and relieve the fear of physical activity because they don’t have to go to the gym every day or run 5 miles every day,” said Gibbs, associate professor in the Department of Health and Human Development at the University of Pittsburgh, TODAY said.
“For people who don’t do anything, even increasing 30 minutes a week can have health benefits … We just wanted to help doctors know that physical activity is a great option. It treats both cholesterol and high blood pressure. “
Approximately 21% of US adults, or 53 million, have slightly elevated blood pressure as per guidelines published in 2017. This usually means that the upper value of the reading is between 120-139 mmHg and the lower value is between 80-89 mmHg.
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The authors estimated that at least 28% of Americans, or 71 million Americans, have slightly high cholesterol with their LDL, or “bad cholesterol,” greater than 70 mg / dL.
High cholesterol and blood pressure often go together, and both increase your risk of heart disease.
This is where movement can come into play. It fixes both of these problems and may be easier for people to implement than weight loss or diet changes – some of the other lifestyle treatments that can help – and have many other health benefits.
“A lot of people don’t want to start medication, so this is really a critical moment of motivation,” said Gibbs.
“A doctor who writes out a prescription for (exercise) activities really motivates patients … they will take this more seriously.”
How much exercise does it take to be effective?
The statement recommends the federal physical activity guidelines that allow for 150-300 minutes of moderate physical activity per week or 75-150 minutes of vigorous exercise, or an equivalent combination of both.
It’s the best scenario, but every minute counts: “Actually, the steepest improvements happen when you start with nothing and get a little bit more,” said Gibbs.
Even short bursts of exercise are beneficial, researchers have found.
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What kind of exercise is best?
Every type of exercise that you want to do and will keep doing, she noticed. Aerobic exercise and resistance training can both offer the cholesterol and blood pressure lowering benefits.
For someone who doesn’t exercise at all, brisk walking is the best recommendation because people know how to do it, it’s easy to incorporate into everyday life, and doesn’t require any equipment, Gibbs noted.
Lots of people already have an activity tracker on their phone or smartwatch, so it might just be a matter of how many steps do they take now and increase that number a little. “It doesn’t have to be that hard,” she said.
A recent study found that light physical activity – like walking, gardening, or housework – throughout the day is key to getting the benefits of exercise.
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How long does it take to show an effect?
Exercise can lower a person’s blood pressure the next day, but the goal, of course, is a sustained change that would require about three months of regular exercise, Gibbs said.
When it comes to improving a person’s cholesterol profile, studies have shown that it can take several months for something to change.
“We’re just really in favor of doctors, clinicians, nurses, and everyone in contact with patients really prescribing exercise because, frankly, it has so many health benefits. It can handle almost anything, ”said Gibbs.
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