Why Regular Physical Activity Reduces the Risk of Developing High Blood Pressure

Researchers have just reported the results of a large study of more than 140,000 adults in Taiwan followed for an average of 5 years that show that regular physical activity reduces the risk of becoming hypertensive, even when air pollution is at moderately high levels.
The results show that increased air pollution is associated with a greater risk of developing high blood pressure. Conversely, increased physical activity is associated with a lower risk of becoming hypertensive. Thus, people with high levels of regular physical activity and low exposure to air pollution have the lowest risk of developing high blood pressure.
The authors mention that increased physical activity still has a beneficial effect on the risk of high blood pressure even when people are exposed to more air pollution. It is important to note, however, that the people in this study were subjected to moderately high levels of pollution. It is therefore not possible to generalize the results of this study to populations living in highly polluted areas.
The role air pollution plays in the risk of cardiovascular pathology, including heart attack, stroke, arrhythmia and heart failure, has already been well established. This study shows that the same is true for high blood pressure: the higher the air pollution, the higher the risk of becoming hypertensive. Finally, the study confirmed that regular physical activity reduces the risk of developing high blood pressure. This remains true when air pollution is at moderately high levels.
“Our mission at Women’s Cardiovascular Healthcare Foundation is to Alert, Anticipate and Act to support women so they can reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease. Getting regular physical activity is a very effective way to prevent cardiovascular events for women of all ages and this practice should be included in health education for girls from an early age. Regular physical activity is an effective way to reduce blood pressure levels even when a woman is already hypertensive, thus enhancing the effectiveness of blood pressure medications.”

http://newsroom.heart.org/news/regular-exercise-helps-prevent-high-blood-pressure-even-in-areas-of-high-air-pollution