Elders with High Blood Pressure Can Reduce Risk of Death With Moderate Fitness

Elderly men suffering from high blood pressure can lower risk of death by indulging in moderate fitness activities, a new study reveals.

High fitness levels can bring down the risk of death in the elderly by almost 50 percent.

"This level of fitness is achievable by most elderly individuals engaging in a brisk walk of 20 to 40 minutes, most days of the week," said Charles Faselis, M.D., lead author of the study and  professor of medicine at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

In this study the researchers evaluated the fitness status of nearly 2,153 men 70 years and older. All of them were diagnosed with high blood pressure.  As a part of the study the participants were made to take a standard treadmill exercise test.  The peak fitness levels were determined using metabolic equivalents (METs), the international units used to measure fitness.

A MET is the amount of oxygen the body uses per kilogram of body weight per minute.  One MET is the amount of energy spent at rest.

Based on the results, the men were further divided into groups ranging from very low fitness, low fitness, moderate fitness and high fitness.

"To put this in perspective, the peak MET level of a sedentary 50-year-old is about five to six METs," said Peter Kokkinos, Ph.D., the senior author. "For a moderately fit individual, it's about seven to nine METS, and for a highly fit person, it's 10 to 12 METs. Still, marathon runners, cyclists and other long distance athletes often have MET levels of 20 or higher."

The subjects were followed for an average of nine years. The researchers noticed that there was 11 percent lower risk of death for every one-MET increase in exercise capacity.

Men in the low-fit category had 18 percent reduced risk of death, the risk of death was 36 percent lower among the moderately fit men and the risk of death was 48 percent lower among the high-fit men.

The finding was documented in the American Heart Association's journal Hypertension.