- According to a recent presentation at the American College of Cardiology’s annual scientific sessions, taking more steps each day can help lower your blood pressure.
- For every 1,000 daily steps taken, systolic blood pressure—or the top number in your blood pressure reading—was about 0.45 points lower.
There has been ongoing debate about the value of getting in 10,000 steps per day, and whether it should be a goal for most people. A recent study, for example, found it doesn’t do much to prevent weight gain. But something that could benefit from more daily steps is your heart: A recent presentation at the American College of Cardiology’s annual scientific sessions suggests those who take more steps daily are walking—or running—their way to lower blood pressure.
The research comes from the Framingham Heart Study, a project that’s been going on for more than 70 years examining all factors related to heart disease. For this study, 638 people—all with blood pressure that ranged from “normal” to “slightly elevated”—were asked to wear an Apple Watch to track daily activity and to record blood pressure weekly.
Researchers found that for every 1,000 daily steps taken, a participant’s systolic blood pressure—the top number—was about 0.45 points lower. As those step counts went higher, the benefits increased, lead author Mayank Sardana, M.D., a clinical fellow at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center, told Runner’s World. So anyone who hit 10,000 steps each day would have a systolic blood pressure that was 2.25 points lower than someone who got 5,000 steps in each day.
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“Given that study participants had an average systolic blood pressure of 122 mm Hg, this amount could make the difference between blood pressure that is considered normal (less than 120 mmHg) and elevated (120 mmHg or higher),” according to a press release.
According to Sardana, more research will need to be done to look at the exact reason behind the study’s results, but he suspects the mechanisms are similar to those that decrease blood pressure with exercise in people with hypertension.
When you’re active, your heart works slightly harder to pump blood, making it stronger, according to Sardana. Even though many exercises can cause a temporary increase in blood pressure, that more robust heart muscle doesn’t have to work as hard during periods of time when you’re not exercising, leading to less of a force on your arteries, and lowered blood pressure as a result.
Another reason for the connection between more exercise and lower blood pressure may be weight reduction. Although previous studies have suggested increased step counts alone don’t lead to weight loss, there is evidence that those with a higher body mass index (BMI) take fewer steps throughout the day, an indication of sedentary behavior and the heart risks that come with it.
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It’s worth noting, though, that you don’t want your blood pressure to get too low. Recent research published in the journal Age and Ageing found that there may be a link between low blood pressure—which the Mayo Clinic defines as 90/60 mmHg—and early death. Low blood pressure isn’t necessarily a cause for concern on its own, but if it’s accompanied by symptoms such as dizziness, lightheadedness, headache, fatigue, blurred vision, or nausea, make an appointment with your doctor.
Currently, Sardana and fellow researchers are performing secondary analyses to understand if the association between step count and blood pressure is stronger in certain subgroups of participants, such as those with hypertension or higher BMI numbers.
One definite step forward, he said, is the use of devices like smart watches and home blood pressure monitors.
“With these, we’re better able to leverage data—especially continuous data—to better understand how certain factors like activity relate to cardiovascular risks,” he said. “This is an exciting opportunity to use data that already exists on people's fitness trackers.”
Elizabeth Millard is a freelance writer focusing on health, wellness, fitness, and food.
