In the electronic Framingham Heart Study presented at ACC.20/WCC, people who took more steps daily, as tracked by their smartwatch, had lower blood pressure on average than those taking fewer steps.
In the electronic Framingham Heart Study presented at ACC.20/WCC, people who took more steps daily, as tracked by their smartwatch, had lower blood pressure on average than those taking fewer steps.
As part of the Framingham Heart Study, researchers analyzed data from 638 study participants who were asked to wear an Apple Watch daily and record their blood pressure at home weekly. After accounting for demographic factors, the study found participants' systolic blood pressure was about 0.45 points lower for every 1,000 daily steps taken, meaning that a person taking 10,000 steps daily would have a systolic blood pressure 2.25 points lower than a person taking just 5,000 steps daily, on average.
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 or elevated. Although the study was observational and does not show cause and effect, the findings align with previous research suggesting that being more physically active can help lower blood pressure.
Mayank Sardana, MD, the study's lead author says, "This study solidifies our understanding of the relationship between physical activity and blood pressure and raises the possibility that obesity or body mass index accounts for a lot of that relationship."
Read more at American College of Cardiology
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