Adopting a healthy lifestyle by all people is important for the prevention of high blood pressure and is an indispensible part of the management of people with diagnosed hypertension. Making changes to your lifestyle has been shown to have the potential to lower your blood pressure readings.
Average effect on blood pressure from lifestyle interventions:
|
LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION |
AVERAGE EFFECT ON SBP (MM HG) |
AVERAGE EFFECT ON DBP (MM HG) |
|---|---|---|
|
Regular aerobic exercise |
-5 | -4 |
| DASH Diet | -11 | -5.5 |
|
Weight loss of 3% to 9% of body weight in overweight patients |
-3 | -3 |
|
Reduced salt diet |
-5 | -3 |
|
Alcohol moderation |
-4 | -2.5 |
Key:
SBP: systolic blood pressure
DBP: diastolic blood pressure
Source:
How effective are lifestyle changes for controlling hypertension?
Jennifer Lochner, MD; Bruin Rugge, MD; Dolores Judkins, MLS