Training & Nutrition - High blood pressure and endurance training

My knucklehead boss (is there any other kind?) has very high blood pressure. I had heard that endurance sports can lower BP, and found it true for me with long distance cycling (though I also lost a lot of weight, so...?). But when I went online to find proof to show him, my searches did not get good hits, mostly links to buy drugs.

Does anyone have a good link to something showing that BP goes down with excercise? I would especially like to see lniks that show that endurance training is best, if that is indeed true. thanks

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-blood-pressure/HI00024

http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/guide/safe-exercise-tips

http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/abstract/136/7/493

http://www.acsm-msse.org/pt/re/msse/abstract.00005768-200106001-00018.htm;jsessionid=K5lK0dLcDT4DVRbF6YHhwfvnvz5Nw7LGJK8vSt9NNTvHTdlCwQKj!713060492!181195629!8091!-1

For your boss:

My BP last week at my docs was 112/72

In the past - years ago - I was like 140/90 or thereabouts.

I will be 70 in a couple of months.

I swim, bicycle, do intense resistance training, stretch and walk.

I have reduced my BP meds significantly - like to 1/2, and really take very little now.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-blood-pressure/HI00024

http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/guide/safe-exercise-tips

http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/abstract/136/7/493

http://www.acsm-msse.org/pt/re/msse/abstract.00005768-200106001-00018.htm;jsessionid=K5lK0dLcDT4DVRbF6YHhwfvnvz5Nw7LGJK8vSt9NNTvHTdlCwQKj!713060492!181195629!8091!-1

Thanks for the links, although the stats were not as strong as I hoped, only 5 or 10 points.


For your boss:

My BP last week at my docs was 112/72

In the past - years ago - I was like 140/90 or thereabouts.

I will be 70 in a couple of months.

I swim, bicycle, do intense resistance training, stretch and walk.

I have reduced my BP meds significantly - like to 1/2, and really take very little now.

This was almost exactly my experience, over a couple years, although I was about 5 points higher at the start. I ride long distance, about 200-250 miles a week, plus some long rides up to 250 miles or more in a day. I want to think that endurance training can account for these dramatic reductions, but I am still unable to find any proof. I also lost a lot of weight over this time, which probably had some effect. These studies don't seem to focus on endurance excercise. Or, maybe my experience, and yours, are not that typical.

Blood pressure varies dramatically as a result of exercise. Continuous exercise causes hormonal as well as hydrodynamic effects, that cause BP readings to vary significantly.

It is important to understand that managing BP is an extremely unique affair. And while exercise is an effective way of realizing some of the "good effects" of stress - no one should come away thinking that their exercise will remove their need for medication or continued monitoring of their condition.

My own experience suggests exercise alone, without attention to diet and weight control will not be enough to control BP But like I said your mileage may vary......

My experience that keeping dietary carbohydrates with reason or even low plus exercise reduces my BP from 140/90 to 110/65 or thereabouts. key for me is to not eat a lot of simple sugers and easily digeted starches, and burn those off with some exercise.