Lifestyle Changes Lower Blood Pressure

A study sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has proved once more that lifestyle changes can help bring down high blood pressure to healthy levels.

A group of 810 men and women in this U.S. study were given intensive counseling on lifestyle changes to control their blood pressure. The authors' views differ only in whether these "rules" can be applied on a large scale, in real life.

The blood pressure readings of the participants were either high (above 140/90), or a little over the normal level for a healthy adult, 120/80. The participants were not taking medication for their condition.

They were divided into three groups: one received two 30-minute sessions of advice on how to control blood pressure, a second group received 18 counseling sessions during the first 6 months of the study and 15 sessions over the next 12 months, while the third group received the same counseling as the second, plus further advice concerning a diet rich in fruit, vegetables, low-fat dairy products and lo win total fat and cholesterol.

The blood pressure readings decreased in all participants over the following 18 months, but the greatest decrease was noted in the group who received the most advice. At the beginning of the study, 37% of the participants had high blood pressure, but after 18 months, in the first group, the number decreased to 32%, to 24% in the second group and to 22% in the third group, who received both counseling and dietary advice.

High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease and the biggest risk factor for stroke. Researchers are happy that the study has proved this reduction possible, with the appropriate counseling. However, there are complex changes that need to be made to reach these results, which may be difficult to integrate into real life.

"We have to try to come up with a system that could be adopted by health-care providers", says Dr. David W. Harsha, associate professor at Louisiana State University, one of the centers where the study was conducted.

The results of the study are published in the April 4 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

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