Sydney: Just five minutes of exercise daily could help reduce blood pressure, according to new research.
The study, published Thursday by an international team led by the University of Sydney and University College London, suggests that brief activities like uphill walking or stair climbing may help lower blood pressure levels. Findings from the Prospective Physical Activity, Sitting and Sleep (ProPASS) Consortium showed that replacing 20-27 minutes of sitting with exercise can have a clinically significant impact on blood pressure.
“High blood pressure is a major global health issue, but in addition to medication, there may be accessible ways to address it,” said Emmanuel Stamatakis, senior author and director of the ProPASS Consortium at the University of Sydney. “Our findings suggest that even just five extra minutes of exercise daily could be linked to lower blood pressure, highlighting the impact of short bursts of intense activity.”
The research, which analyzed data from 14,761 volunteers, estimated that replacing sedentary time with at least 20 minutes of exercise each day could reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by 28 percent.
The World Health Organization reports that 1.28 billion adults aged 30-79 globally have hypertension, with 46 percent unaware of their condition.
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