HEALTH SPECIAL.... Lowering blood pressure with diet and exercise only

Lowering blood pressure with diet and exercise only

OF THE 35.72 MILLION SCREENED ACROSS INDIA IN 2017, MORE THAN 3.65 MILLION HAD HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

People with hypertension can lower their need for bloodpressure lowering medicine within 16 weeks if they start eating healthier food and exercising regularly, according to a new study.

People who ate a diet high in vegetables, fruits and lowfat dairy and low in red meat, salt and sugar on average lost 8.6kg of bodyweight and had lowered blood pressure by 16 mmHg systolic and 10 mmHg diastolic in less than four months, said the study presented at the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Hypertension 2018 Scientific Sessions on Saturday.

By the study’s end, only 15% of people on a healthier diet and exercise plan needed anti-hypertensive medications, compared to 23% in the group that changed their diet but didn’t exercise.

There was no change in the prescription of those who made no dietary and activity changes, with 50% people continuing to need medication.

The effect was strongest among people with blood pressures in the range of 130 to 160 mmHg systolic and between 80 and 99 mmHg diastolic.

Updated international hypertension guidelines define hypertension as blood pressure of 130/80 mmHg or more.

Under the revised criterion, people with blood pressure readings of 130–140/ 80–90 mmHg are hypertensive and must control their hypertension with lifestyle changes or medication, or both.

In India, 10.22% people have hypertension — the most common risk factor for heart disease, data from the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke shows. Of the 35.72 million screened across India in 2017, more than 3.65 million had high blood pressure, over 3 million had diabetes, 1,34,348 had heart diseases, 47,464 had stroke and 39,635 had cancer of the oral cavity, cervix and breast, the three most common cancers in the country.

Heart disease, cancer, respiratory disease, diabetes and other non-communicable disease cause 60% of all deaths in India, with heart disease and stroke accounting for more than half of these deaths.

A second study at the AHA scientific sessions reported monitoring blood pressure at home improves hypertension control and saves cost of medication.

Around 86 percent of patients who use home blood pressure monitors and shared their data with their doctor had their hypertension under control, found the study of 2,550 adults with persistent uncontrolled high blood pressure.

Monitoring blood pressure at home controlled the hypertension in nearly 67% of patients by their third visit, and in 60% of patients by their sixth visit.

The decline from the third to sixth visit was accounted for by doctors who adjusted blood pressure medications based on information from home monitoring. By the end of six months, nearly 80% of people had their blood pressure under control.

The study found home-monitoring combined with doctor visits helps to avoid the numbers getting skewed by “whitecoat hypertension,” a common condition that results in blood pressure shooting up in a medical setting but not in everyday life, and “masked hypertension” — when blood pressure is normal in a hospital but high outside.

Blood pressure must be kept equal to or less than 130/80 mmHg and how you do it can vary depending on what works best for you.

The healthiest start would be to eat nutritious food and exercise (150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of high aerobic activity spread over one week and strength training of all muscle groups two times a week).

For those who find it difficult to take 30 minutes out for a brisk walk every day, 15 minute walks twice a day will bring the same benefits.

Increasing exercise time to 300 minutes spread over one week will bring the additional benefit of weight loss, as will reducing sitting time through the day.

·         SANCHITA SHARMA

HT9SEP18