In many ways, the healthcare options we have in our country (and other parts of the world with strong, high-quality systems) have become a Catch 22.
Why?
Because in addition to helping us live longer, better, and healthier, they can also give us an excuse to turn over our personal responsibility for our health to our doctor or even a drug.
And, according to a new study, that’s often exactly what happens in the case of blood pressure or cholesterol problems …
Ignoring heart-healthy lifestyles
The study, reported by the Journal of the American Heart Association, was performed in Finland, a country who like our own has an excellent healthcare system, where patients have extensive access to treatment.
And, since the researchers studied more than 40,000 people with an average age of 52 who had just been prescribed either blood pressure or cholesterol medication, it’s easy to see that the results they discovered are significant.
The team followed the participants for 13 years, monitoring them at four-year intervals to assess their BMI (body mass index), physical activity, alcohol consumption, and smoking history.
They also pulled pharmacy data to determine whether or not the participants began taking the prescribed high blood pressure or statin medications so that they could factor that into the equation.
And, here comes both the good and the bad news…
The researchers found that compared to those who did not start medications, those who did:
- Were more likely to reduce their physical activity and were eight percent more likely to become physically inactive
- Were 82 percent more likely to become obese or have an increase in body mass index
- Were 26 percent more likely to quit smoking
- Reduced their alcohol consumption
So, while people who started taking blood pressure and cholesterol medication made good changes like quitting smoking and skipping that wine with dinner… they also stopped exercising — and gained weight!
Now, I know what you might be thinking…
People tend to gain weight when they stop smoking so that’s where the issue came in, at least for the weight problem.
But, according to the researchers, the correlation wasn’t there and did not explain the BMI increase found in the study.
In fact, they found that participants who took their medications and stopped smoking gained more weight than those who didn’t take medications and stopped smoking.
Related: 5 Harvard-approved habits that add 10 years to your life
So, they say that something about taking the medication is where the trouble lies…
It’s easy to see from this information that many people see taking medication as a magic bullet.
But that kind of thinking is wrong… dead wrong.
In fact, giving up healthy lifestyle habits, like exercise, can lead to a sedentary lifestyle and obesity, both of which are risk factors for:
- Heart disease
- Diabetes
- Cancer
- Depression
- And, more…
Prioritizing health habits
These results are proof positive that by starting these drugs and then giving up on healthy lifestyle habits, you could be destroying your health even faster.
Here’s the advice from the Finnish researchers…
“Medication shouldn’t be viewed as a free pass to continue or start an unhealthy lifestyle,” said Maarit J. Korhonen, Ph.D., lead author of the study and senior researcher at the University of Turku in Finland.
In other words, take your medications, but also get your exercise, watch your weight, and eat a healthy diet, rich in fruits, veggies, nuts, and fish in order to be the healthiest you possible.
Editor’s Note: Recently, the strongest evidence yet that tens of thousands of costly stent procedures and bypass operations each year are unnecessary for people with stable heart disease was presented to the American Heart Association. In fact, study participants who had a procedure were more likely to suffer a heart problem or die over the next year than those treated with medicine and vital lifestyle interventions, like you just read about! Before you submit to any heart treatment, read this FREE report…
Sources:
- Obesity — Mayo Clinic
- Physical inactivity a leading cause of disease and disability, warns WHO — World Health Organization
- Healthy habits still vital after starting blood pressure, cholesterol medications — EurekAlert
