Low Levels of Weekly Exercise Lower Blood Pressure

According to a recent article by ScienceDaily...

"Even low levels of weekly exercise drive down blood pressure and boost overall fitness, suggests a small study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

To stave off ill health, adults are currently recommended to indulge in 30 minutes of moderately strenuous exercise on at least five days of the week.

But few people meet these recommendations, with lack of time cited as the most common reason for failing to do so.

The study authors invited 106 healthy but sedentary civil servants between the ages of 40 and 60 to take part in an exercise programme for 12 weeks. Some 44 people were randomly assigned to 30 minutes of brisk walking on five days of the week. A further 42 were given the same programme, but for three days of the week. And the remainder were not asked to change their current lifestyle.

Pedometers were used to help participants monitor their walking and every participant recorded how long they walked for.

Blood pressure, blood cholesterol, weight, hip and waist girth, and overall fitness (functional capacity) were all measured at the start and finish of the 12 week study. Most people (89%) lasted the course.

There were no changes in any of the measures among the non-walkers. But systolic blood pressure and waist and hip girth fell significantly in both groups of walkers. Overall fitness also increased in the walkers.

Falls of a few mm in blood pressure and shrinkage of a few centimetres in hip and waist circumference are enough to make a difference to an individual's risk of dying from a cardiovascular disease, say the authors. Furthermore, the findings show that moderate intensity physical exercise below the recommended weekly levels still makes a difference to health, they add."

Adapted from materials provided by BMJ-British Medical Journal.

Aircraft Noise Linked to High Blood Pressure

According to a recent Reuters Health article... "Living under an airport flight path may boost a person's high blood pressure risk by as much as 80%, according to Swedish researchers.

Writing in the December issue of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Dr. Mats Rosenlund of the Department of Environmental Health in Stockholm, Sweden, and colleagues present their findings after comparing two groups of people living near or far from the Stockholm Arlanda Airport.

The researchers compared 266 people aged 19 to 80 who lived near the airport with 2,693 other Stockholm residents. All responded to a questionnaire that assessed a variety of lifestyle habits, such as diet, exercise and smoking, and if they had ever received a diagnosis of high blood pressure from a doctor.

Rosenlund and colleagues report that people exposed to average aircraft noise levels of 55 decibels or higher were 60% more likely to report having been diagnosed with high blood pressure. Those with exposures exceeding 72 decibels were 80% more likely to report a high blood pressure diagnosis.

Overall, 14% of people exposed to less noise had high blood pressure, compared with 20% of those who regularly faced noise levels of 55 decibels or higher.

The findings suggest that exposure to loud noise is associated with high blood pressure, which in turn suggests aircraft noise could increase heart disease risk, Rosenlund and colleagues report."

Chocolate Improves Blood Flow

Chocolate lovers, take heart: A Japanese study finds that flavonoid-rich dark chocolate can improve coronary blood flow.

The study looked at what's known as coronary flow velocity reserve (CFVR), an indicator of the ability of the coronary arteries to dilate and allow more blood flow in response to medications.

The two-week trial included 39 healthy adults, average age 29, who ate either 550 milligrams per day of dark chocolate versus white chocolate with no flavonoids.

The researchers used Doppler echocardiography to assess CFVR at the start and end of the study. They also measured the participants' blood pressure, blood lipids and two markers of oxidative stress.

Participants who ate dark chocolate showed significantly improved CFVR after two weeks, while those who ate white chocolate showed no change, the study found.

"Flavonoid-rich dark chocolate intake had acute effects in improving coronary function in healthy adults, as compared to non-flavonoid white chocolate, independent of changes in oxidative stress parameters, blood pressure and lipid profile," wrote the researchers from Chiba University.

However, they noted that difficulties in blinding (preventing participants from knowing which kind of chocolate they were eating) may have affected the results.

Even though you may think that this study might give you the green light to start chowing down on chocolate, be careful since too much chocolate can pack on the pounds and do more harm than help.

Whole Grain Breakfast Cereals May Lower Risk of Heart Failure For Men

A recent study in the October 22 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, reports men who consume a higher amount of whole grain breakfast cereals may have a reduced risk of heart failure.

"The lifetime risk of heart failure is estimated at 20 percent (one in five) for both men and women aged 40 years," according to background information in the article. Studies have suggested that the risk of hypertension, coronary heart disease, hypercholesterolemia (high blood cholesterol) and mortality can be reduced with a diet rich in grain products.

According to the study's authors, "Our data demonstrate that a higher intake of whole grain breakfast cereals is associated with a lower risk of heart failure," the authors conclude. This association may be due to the beneficial effects of whole grains on heart failure risk factors such as hypertension, myocardial infarction [heart attack], diabetes mellitus and obesity. "If confirmed in other studies, a higher intake of whole grains along with other preventive measures could help lower the risk of heart failure."

If you want to learn how to pick the best healthy whole grain cereal, click here.

Halt the Salt

Salt -- also known as sodium chloride -- is key for regulating fluids in the body. But too much can cause high blood pressure. The average American consumes 3,353 milligrams of sodium every day -- more than twice what the Institute of Medicine says is adequate for healthy people and 1,000 milligrams more than the recommended maximum.

Salt added by home cooks or at the dinner table accounts for only about 10 percent of total sodium intake. Some 75 percent of the salt consumed in the United States is found in processed foods bought at a grocery store, vending machine, restaurant or fast-food franchise.

In a historic first,The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy group, and the Grocery Manufacturers Association, an industry group, co-sponsored a conference to encourage food companies, restaurants, health professionals and government agencies to help Americans stay below the 2,300-milligram daily limit set by the 2005 U.S. Dietary Guidelines.

According to CSPI's executive director, Michael F. Jacobson, "Reducing the amount of salt in processed foods and restaurant foods is perhaps the single most important thing we could do to reduce blood pressure and the incidence of heart attacks and strokes in this country and around the world," Jacobson says. "It's something that the food industry and government regulators are taking increasingly seriously."