According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), adherence to low-risk dietary and lifestyle factors was associated with a significantly lower incidence of self-reported hypertension (aka: high blood pressure). There were also reported incidences of new-onset hypertension occurring among young women, which brought cause for alarm. The investigation, conducted by Dr. John P. Forman and colleagues, from Harvard Medical School, Boston, involved an analysis of data from women in the Nurses’ Health Study. The goal was to assess the impact that diet and lifestyle on the risk of high blood pressure.

The Study

Specifically, Dr. Forman’s objective was to estimate the “fraction of hypertension incidence associated with dietary and lifestyle factors in women”.  In order to do this, the cohort study was made up of over 83,000 women aged anywhere from 27 to 44 years old who didn’t have hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes or cancer back in 1991, and who had normal blood pressure.  The study then followed the health of these women through 2005 to see what changes, if any, occurred during the 14-year time frame. For the study, the researchers identified several low-risk factors for the purposes of studying the risk associated with developing hypertension.The six (6) low-risk, modifiable lifestyle and dietary factors for hypertension included:

1. a body mass index (BMI) of less than 25
2. a daily mean of 30 minutes of vigorous exercise
3. a high score on the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet based on responses to a food frequency questionnaire
4. modest alcohol intake up to 10g/d
5. use of nonnarcotic analgesics less than once per week
6. intake of a folic acid supplement.

The Results

Out of the 83,882 cases that were studied, a total of 12,319 incident cases of hypertension were reported.  According to an article in Reuters,

The presence of 6, 5, 4, and 3 of the factors cut the risk of high blood pressure by 78, 72, 58, and 54 percent, respectively, relative to the complete absence of these factors.

The factor with the single greatest impact on high blood pressure was body weight. Women who were obese were 4.7-times more likely to develop high blood pressure than were women of normal body weight.

For more information about drug and alcohol recovery, or to learn more about our 30 day drug and alcohol rehab program, contact Mark Houston Recovery today!

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According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), adherence to low-risk dietary and lifestyle factors was associated with a significantly lower incidence of self-reported hypertension (aka: high blood pressure). There were also reported incidences of new-onset hypertension occurring among young women, which brought cause for alarm. The investigation, conducted by Dr. John P. Forman and colleagues, from Harvard Medical School, Boston, involved an analysis of data from women in the Nurses’ Health Study. The goal was to assess the impact that diet and lifestyle on the risk of high blood pressure.

The Study

Specifically, Dr. Forman’s objective was to estimate the “fraction of hypertension incidence associated with dietary and lifestyle factors in women”.  In order to do this, the cohort study was made up of over 83,000 women aged anywhere from 27 to 44 years old who didn’t have hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes or cancer back in 1991, and who had normal blood pressure.  The study then followed the health of these women through 2005 to see what changes, if any, occurred during the 14-year time frame. For the study, the researchers identified several low-risk factors for the purposes of studying the risk associated with developing hypertension.The six (6) low-risk, modifiable lifestyle and dietary factors for hypertension included:

1. a body mass index (BMI) of less than 25
2. a daily mean of 30 minutes of vigorous exercise
3. a high score on the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet based on responses to a food frequency questionnaire
4. modest alcohol intake up to 10g/d
5. use of nonnarcotic analgesics less than once per week
6. intake of a folic acid supplement.

The Results

Out of the 83,882 cases that were studied, a total of 12,319 incident cases of hypertension were reported.  According to an article in Reuters,

The presence of 6, 5, 4, and 3 of the factors cut the risk of high blood pressure by 78, 72, 58, and 54 percent, respectively, relative to the complete absence of these factors.

The factor with the single greatest impact on high blood pressure was body weight. Women who were obese were 4.7-times more likely to develop high blood pressure than were women of normal body weight.

For more information about drug and alcohol recovery, or to learn more about our 30 day drug and alcohol rehab program, contact Mark Houston Recovery today!

[photo credit]

ShareThis