A presentation at the August 2012 European Society of Cardiology showed that a healthy lifestyle reduced the risk for high blood pressure by two thirds. This large prospective population-based cohort study looked at 9,637 Finnish men and 11,430 Finnish women between 25 and 74 years of age and free of hypertension at baseline. They were followed for an average of 16 years. Healthy behavior included:
- not smoking
- less than 50 g of alcohol per week (roughly 3.5 drinks per week)
- leisure time physical activity at least 3 times per week
- daily consumption of vegetables
- BMI less than 25 kg/m2
Smoking was not associated with an increase in blood pressure, although it is associated with heart disease in general.
The researchers found that healthy alcohol consumption, leisure time physical activity, daily vegetables, and healthy weight resulted in an approximately 60% reduction in risk for hypertension. There is no downside to a healthy lifestyle.
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