Morning Walks Could Be Better Than Drugs At Lowering Blood Pressure

According to a new study published in the journal Hypertension, just half-an-hour of walking in the morning could be as effective as medication at lowering blood pressure.

Researchers at the University of Western Australia found that 30 minutes of walking on a treadmill in the morning improved participants' blood pressure readings for the rest of the day. They say that for some individuals, the morning walking could replace the need for medication.

According to the charity Blood Pressure UK, about one-third of adults have high blood pressure, which is defined as a reading of more than 140/90 mmHg and, in Britain, about 12 million people take medication for the condition.

For the study, Michael Wheeler and colleagues assessed 67 overweight and obese men and women (aged 55 to 80) who engaged in three different 8-hour daily routines.

The first routine involved sitting continuously for eight hours. The second involved sitting for one hour before walking for 30 minutes at moderate intensity on a treadmill, followed by sitting for a further 6.5 hours.

The third routine involved sitting for one hour before 30-minute treadmill walking and then sitting for 6.5 hours, but with this interrupted every 30 minutes with 3 minutes of light intensity walking.

The results showed that blood pressure was significantly lower when participants engaged in the routines that involved walking, compared with the sitting-only routine.

Wheeler says that the magnitude of the blood pressure reduction approached that of what may be expected when this population group take anti-hypertensive medication.

Commenting on the study, the British Heart Foundation added that half-an-hour of morning exercise is also good for people's mental health.

Cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, Chris Allen, says the findings add to a huge body of evidence showing that regular exercise can help to lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes: "It can also give both your body and mind a boost, which is why 30 minutes of activity in the morning is a great way to set yourself up for the day."

As the proportion of those who are overweight with higher blood pressure increases with age, adopting a strategy of combining exercise with breaks in sitting may be important to control and prevent the development of high blood pressure." - Professor Michael Wheeler, Lead Author.

Wheeler, M., J., et al. 2019 Effect of Morning Exercise With or Without Breaks in Prolonged Sitting on Blood Pressure in Older Overweight/Obese Adults. Hypertension.

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Is Breakfast Always a Good Idea?

Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, but eating it won't help you lose weight, research suggests.

Those who ate breakfast consumed 260 more calories per day and gained 1lb more than those who skipped it, a review of previous studies found.

But experts say a healthy breakfast can be a good source of calcium and fibre.

It has also been shown to improve concentration and attention levels, particularly in children.

Breakfast gives you energy, stops you snacking later in the day and supplies essential nutrients - so we are told.

Its reputation as the nutritional backstop to our day stems from observational studies showing a positive link between people eating breakfast and having a healthy weight.

But this new Australian research in the BMJ, which reviewed the results of 13 separate trials on breakfast eating, weight change and energy intake, found little evidence for those views.

The findings of the Monash University research team suggest that skipping breakfast might in fact be a good way to reduce total daily calorie intake.

They found that breakfast eaters consumed more calories overall and breakfast skippers did not have a greater appetite in the afternoon.

And they say caution is needed when recommending breakfast for weight loss in adults - because it could have the opposite effect.

However, the researchers added that there were limitations to their study.

What is a Healthy Breakfast?

• For an energy boost - try an "apple pie" porridge, with cinnamon, or baked beans on wholemeal toast
• For protein - try scrambled eggs with spinach on toast or low-fat Greek yoghurt with fruit and nuts
• For a light bite - make a smoothie from tinned fruit, banana and spinach or mash avocado on toast

The participants in the studies were only followed for short periods - from between two and 16 weeks - and the difference in calorie intake between breakfast eaters and skippers was small.

The researchers concluded that working out the long-term effect of skipping or adding breakfast to diets still needed more research.

Calcium and Fibre Boost

Prof Kevin Whelan, dietetics expert and head of King's College London's nutritional sciences department, says we should not get too hung up on calorie intake first thing in the morning.

"This study does not say breakfast is bad for the health," he said.

"Breakfast is important for nutrient intake, such as cereals and milk which are good for calcium and fibre."

But the BMJ research did not look at this aspect of breakfast.

"We are not talking about breakfast being the cause of obesity," he said.

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