Just five minutes of vigorous exercise a day might help lower blood pressure, a new study suggests. People with high blood pressure have a higher risk for heart disease and stroke, the leading causes of death in the U.S. Nearly half of all Americans have high blood pressure, which is defined as a systolic blood pressure (the upper number) of greater than 130 or a diastolic blood pressure (the lower number) greater than 80. The researchers found that replacing any less active behavior with five minutes of exercise could lower systolic blood pressure by 0.68 points and diastolic blood pressure by 0.54 points. An estimated two point improvement in systolic blood pressure was observed when 20 minutes of vigorous exercise replaced, for example, 21 minutes of sedentary time or 26 minutes of slow-walking.

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Persons: ” Mark Hamer, Hamer, ”, Arun Manmadhan, Manmadhan, Matthew Tomey, Sean P, Heffron, “, Evan Brittain, Brittain Organizations: University College London, Centers for Disease Control, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York University Langone Medical, Vanderbilt University Medical Center Locations: U.S, New York City, Sinai, Nashville