One in four heart attacks are caused by high blood pressure. It is estimated that by 2025, around 60% of the world’s population will have hypertension. While it is widely accepted that exercise lowers blood pressure, until now recommendations have focused on the amount of exercise per week, without considering an individual’s starting blood pressure level.

This consensus document, for the first time, used an analysis of the highest quality evidence to produce detailed guidance on how to lower blood pressure in people with hypertension, high-normal blood pressure, and normal blood pressure.

“The goal of the recommendations for all three groups is primarily to lower blood pressure,” said first author Professor Henner Hanssen of the University of Basel, Switzerland. “Ultimately, through blood pressure reduction, we can reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke and death from cardiovascular disease – thereby spending more years of life in good health.”

Read more...