Lowering blood pressure with diet and exercise only
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 homemonitoring combined with doctor visits helps to avoid the numbers getting skewed by “white-coat 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.