As we get older, our body gives us signs about our health—and our blood pressure during exercise might be one of those important signs.
A new study shows that if your blood pressure rises too much while you’re exercising or takes a long time to go back to normal afterward, you might have a higher chance of developing high blood pressure, heart disease, or even facing a greater risk of early death in the future.
This discovery is especially helpful for younger and middle-aged adults. By looking at how your blood pressure behaves during physical activity now, doctors might be able to spot future health problems before they become serious.
In the past, most research has looked at blood pressure during intense exercise or focused on people who already had health issues. But this new study focused on how blood pressure changes during moderate activity in middle-aged people and what that might mean for their long-term health.
To dig deeper, researchers used data from the famous Framingham Heart Study. They studied people who were around 58 years old on average, and more than half of the group were women.
The goal was to find out if changes in blood pressure during and after exercise could predict who might go on to develop high blood pressure, heart problems, or even face a higher risk of dying.
The results were clear. If a person’s blood pressure went up a lot during exercise—both when the heart was beating (called systolic pressure) and when it was resting between beats (called diastolic pressure)—that person was more likely to develop high blood pressure later in life.
Also, if blood pressure took too long to return to normal after the workout, it was linked to a higher chance of heart disease and a greater risk of death.
Vanessa Xanthakis, a lead researcher on the project and a professor at Boston University School of Medicine, believes these findings can help doctors catch early warning signs.
She suggests that people pay close attention to how their blood pressure changes during and after exercise. If you notice unusual changes, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor.
Luckily, there are ways to lower your risk. Staying active, eating a healthy diet, not smoking, and managing stress are all great steps for protecting your heart. Regular exercise is not just good for your muscles—it can help your heart stay strong for years to come.
This study was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. It was supported by well-known health organizations, including the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the National Institutes of Health, which shows just how important this research is for improving heart health.
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