There’s no doubt that being physically fit contributes to overall health.
After all, exercise can help you control your weight, reduce your stress and lower inflammation — all factors that should be heart health protective.
But high blood pressure can weigh heavily on heart health. Even with medications, some people have a difficult time getting their numbers down. This is where exercise may be able to help, too — but how much?
A 29-year study is providing some eye-opening details every man needs to know…
Less risk isn’t the same as no risk
Hypertension is a well-known risk factor for heart attack and stroke. It’s also a leading cause of premature death.
And for years, we’ve been advised to exercise to lower blood pressure. In fact, in some analyses, exercise has been shown as effective as drugs.
But an incredible 29-year study by researchers at the University of Eastern Finland is the first to evaluate the joint effects of fitness and blood pressure on the heart health risks that can lead to early death.
In other words, how fit do you need to be — and how much protection will get you?
Well, while they found that being fit helps protect against some of the negative effects of high blood pressure, it certainly doesn’t eliminate them altogether…
The team followed almost 2,300 men monitoring both blood pressure and cardiorespiratory fitness — and they broke the participants down into four groups:
- Normal blood pressure and high fitness
- Normal blood pressure and low fitness
- High blood pressure and high fitness
- High blood pressure and low fitness
And here’s where things get tricky…
While the results proved that having high blood pressure and being out of shape was the biggest risk of all, getting fit didn’t mitigate all of the risks that come with blood pressure problems.
Not surprisingly, the researchers found that men with high blood pressure and low fitness had more than double the risk of cardiovascular death compared to those with normal blood pressure and high fitness.
And for men who had high blood pressure and high fitness levels, their risk dropped, but not as much as we might hope: it was associated with a 55 percent risk for cardiovascular death compared to men with normal blood pressure and high fitness.
According to the researchers, the inability of fitness to completely eliminate the risk of heart-related death in those with high blood pressure is likely due to the strong, independent and causal relationship between blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
Working towards better blood pressure
If you’re man who’s worked hard at your physical fitness to combat the threat of heart disease or heart attack, this news may be disappointing. Just remember though… exercise did lower the risk — so all your hard work is not wasted…
Studies have shown that if you’re physically active and suffer a heart attack, you’re much more likely to survive it.
And we know there are other lifestyle factors, like the ultimate heart-healthy diet, that can further stack the odds in your favor. One, as the study author pointed out, in addition to habitual exercise, is avoiding excess weight.
Nutritional supplements may also be a big help, and CoQ10 would be at the top of the list for these reasons…
A review of 12 clinical studies found that CoQ10 supplementation helped reduce systolic blood pressure (the top number in your blood pressure reading) by as much as 17 mm Hg and lower the bottom number (diastolic) by 10 mm Hg.
Supplementation with CoQ10 has also been shown to balance inflammatory biomarkers that are risk factors for heart problems.
So don’t give up on your fitness plan. Most likely there is no single thing that could completely eliminate your cardio risks. We are mortal after all. But you can throw more at it, including eating right and taking heart-supportive supplements.
Sources:
Being fit partially offsets negative impact of high blood pressure – ScienceDaily