Jul 22, 2009 5:56 pm US/Central
6 Behaviors Can Control High Blood Pressure
DENVER (CBS) ―
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Six simple behaviors add up to blood pressure control.
Americans could be controlling their high blood pressure with six simple behaviors rather than having to turn to medication. That's the finding of a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The study followed more than 84,000 women over a 14-year period -- many of those women had normal blood pressure when the study began.
The researchers found six behaviors when all done together can lower the risk of high blood pressure by 80 percent, CBS station KCNC-TV reported.
"Some of the behaviors are well-known, but two of them were a bit of a surprise," said KCNC-TV Medical Editor Dr. Dave Hnida.
The researchers found women who avoided over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen or Aleve had lower blood pressure as did women who took a daily vitamin which contained folic acid.
The other key behaviors include losing weight.
"Research shows for each 10 pounds of weight you drop, you'll lower your blood pressure by about 7 points," Dr. Hnida said.
Eating a low-fat diet that includes lots of fruits and vegetables can cut the numbers by 8 to 10 points.
Exercising three days a week drops blood pressure by about 5 points.
And limiting alcohol to a single drink a day also reduces blood pressure.
Even changing one behavior can reduce blood pressure but doing all six adds up to greater control, even in people with a strong family history of high blood pressure.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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