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Weight
Loss Key for Treating High Blood Pressure
Reducing body weight should be a "major component"
in the treatment of high blood pressure, new research suggests.
For every kilogram lost, blood pressure falls about one
point, the authors found.
Dr. Johanna M. Geleijnse, of Wageningen University, in the
Netherlands, and colleagues analyzed data from previous
studies to determine the effect of weight reduction on blood
pressure. Included in the analysis were 25 trials with 4874
subjects.
Losing 5 kg of weight as a result of diet, exercise, or
both led to a reduction in blood pressure of about four
points, according to the report in the medical journal Hypertension.
Subjects with an average weight loss of greater than 5 kg
had much larger blood pressure reductions than subjects
who lost less weight. This degree of weight loss was tied
to blood pressure reductions of five to six points.
Blood pressure reductions were also larger in populations
who were taking drugs that lower blood pressure, Geleijnse
and colleagues report.
The team concludes that, given the increasing rates of obesity,
weight control "is of the utmost importance" if
high blood pressure rates are not to follow a similar trend.
SOURCE: Hypertension, November 2003.
Article Source: Reuters Health
Article Author: N/A
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