The study of heart failure saw Dr. Luc Djoussé and his colleagues following over 20,000-healthy men, average age of 53. Afer about 22-ears, those who exercised regularly; ate a diet that included breakfast cereal, fruits and vegetables; did not smoke; and drank moderate amounts of alcohol had a 1 in 10-risk of developing heart failure over his lifetime, while those who did not adopt any of these practices had a 1 in 5-lifetime risk.The results were similar in a study on women and hypertension. Dr. John P. Forman and his team followed over 83,000-healthy women, 27 to 44 years of age in 1991, who were measured on six modifiable risk factors and hypertension risks, including how close they came to a normal weight, daily exercise, modest drinking, and a diet high in fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains, but low in salt.
The six factors included maintaining a body mass index (BMI) less than 25, engaging in vigorous excercise for about 30-minutes per day, adhering to a diet somewhat similar to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, modest consumption of alcohol (up to 10-gms per day), infrequent use of non-narcotic analgesics
(less than once per week), and intake of 400-micrograms or more of folic acid per day.
They were also evaluated on two other factors linked to low blood pressure i. e. taking over-the-counter painkillers not more than once a week, including supplementing their diets with folic acid.
Followed up after 14-years in 2005, 80% of the women following all six behaviours were less likely to develop high blood pressure than women who did not. While, both behaviours helped, the greatest difference made was by having a normal weight, which helped lower the risk of high blood pressure by 40%.
According to Dr. Véronique L. Roger of the Mayo Clinic, the two studies to be reported in tomorrow's Journal of the American Medical Association, have important public health implications.
(source visitbulgaria.info)
