The AHA assertion recommends growing bodily exercise to decrease BP and ldl cholesterol
Source / information
Published by:
Disclosure:
Gibbs does not report any relevant financial information. Please see the statement for all relevant financial information from the other authors.
ADD SUBJECT TO EMAIL ALERTS
Receive an email when new articles are published on
Please enter your email address to receive an email when new articles are published on . “data-action =” subscribe “> subscribe
We could not process your request. Please try again later. If this problem persists, please contact customerservice@slackinc.com.
Back to Healio
A new scientific statement from the American Heart Association published in Hypertension recommends increasing physical activity to lower slightly to moderately elevated blood pressure and cholesterol in adults.
“While everyone should be prescribed a healthy lifestyle, it is the first-line treatment for a large proportion of adults with mild to moderate increases in blood pressure and cholesterol who are otherwise at low risk.” Bethany Barone Gibbs, PhD, FAHA, Associate professor in the Department of Health and Human Development and the Department of Clinical and Translational Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh, said Healio. “Prescribing physical activity is one of the best non-pharmacological options for treating high blood pressure and cholesterol, and has many other health benefits.”
Bethany Barone Gibbs, PhD, FAHA, Associate Professor in the Department of Health and Human Development and the Department of Clinical and Translational Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh.
According to an AHA press release, 28% of adults in the US have LDL levels greater than 70 mg / dL but meet criteria for low risk for 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 many of them meet criteria for low risk for CHD or stroke according to the press release.
Lifestyle changes
For these populations, the statement highlights lifestyle changes to lower elevated blood pressure and cholesterol levels, including increased physical activity, weight loss, improved diet, smoking cessation, and alcohol moderation.
The authors recommend 90 to 150 minutes of moderate to high intensity aerobic exercise per week and 90 to 150 minutes of dynamic resistance training per week. These recommendations are based on previous research that showed that more physically active people had a 21% lower risk of CVD incidence and a 36% lower risk of cardiovascular mortality compared to inactive people. In addition, increased physical activity improves BP, cholesterol, dysglycemia, inflammation, hemostatic factors, body composition, and vascular function, according to the authors.
For people who are overweight or obese, experts recommend an ideal body weight or a weight loss goal of at least 5% to lower blood pressure and improve blood cholesterol. To do this, the statement highlights calorie restriction as the most recommended way to promote weight loss in these individuals. The weight loss showed beneficial effects comparable to those observed for both blood pressure and blood cholesterol during physical activity.
For improved nutrition, recommendations include consuming more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, and seafood, and regular consumption of legumes and nuts. In addition, cutting down on red and processed meats, refined grains, sugar-sweetened foods and beverages, and reducing your intake of saturated fats and sodium will also reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.
Smoking, alcohol consumption
Although smoking cessation isn’t listed as the best lifestyle change to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, smoking is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Smoking is known to have adverse cardiovascular effects, including high blood pressure, which increases the risk of cardiovascular events like stroke, so giving up smoking can improve both side effects, the authors write.
Heavy alcohol consumption is a major risk factor for reversible hypertension and has also been linked to stroke and all-cause mortality. This new statement recommends reducing alcohol consumption to two or fewer drinks per day, as moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a 25-30% reduction in CVD risk.
“We need to learn better how to get more people to be and stay active. This could go a long way in reducing high blood pressure and high cholesterol at the population level, ”Gibbs said in an interview. “Part of that solution could be advocating physical activity by prescribing it to patients.”
For more informations:
Bethany Barone Gibbs, PhD, FAHA, reachable at bbarone@pitt.edu.
ADD SUBJECT TO EMAIL ALERTS
Receive an email when new articles are published on
Please enter your email address to receive an email when new articles are published on . “data-action =” subscribe “> subscribe
We could not process your request. Please try again later. If this problem persists, please contact customerservice@slackinc.com.
Back to Healio
Comments are closed.