An article in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology reported that regular physical activity can delay blood pressure increases in aging males.
First we have to understand a little about blood pressure. Blood pressure is reported in two numbers, the top number, is systolic blood pressure (SBP) and this is the pressure produced when the heart contracts to push blood to all parts of the body. The lower number, diastolic blood pressure (DBP) is the pressure in the arteries when the heart muscle relaxes before the next contraction. The units used to report blood pressure are mm Hg which is millimeters of mercury. In a device that measures blood pressure called a sphygmomanometer, you can see a column of mercury rise up a glass tube and that why those units of measurement are used.
The study looked at 13,953 men between ages 20 and 90 over a 36 year period. They did not include women in the study which is a shame. Unfortunately this is a common weakness of much medical research. They divided the men into “low fit” and “high fit” categories. Fitness was measured using a stress test on a treadmill.
What did they find?
Being fit can delay the development of hypertension in males.
Low fit males – SBP reaches prehypertension (120mmHg) at 46 years and DBP prehypertension at age 42
High fit males – SBP reaches prehypertension (120mmHg) at 54 years and DBP prehypertension at age 90)
So, what is needed to get in the “high fit” category?
The co-author of the study Junxiu Liu, M.D., PhD candidate, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, S.C. says “To move out of the low fit category, men should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity of physical activity such as brisk walking, jogging, running, etc weekly