An estimated 20 to 30 percent of people with high blood pressure have resistant hypertension. That typically means their pressure is still high even though they’re taking several drugs to lower it.
Researchers randomly assigned 140 inactive people with resistant hypertension and excess weight to either:
- detailed advice on a DASH diet, weekly weight-loss counseling, and supervised exercise three times a week, or
- one hour of advice on diet, weight loss, and exercise.
All were told to keep taking their meds. After four months, average systolic blood pressure (the higher number) fell by roughly 13 points in the group given more help and by 7 points in the hour-of-advice group.
What to do
Whether you have hypertension or want to prevent it, try exercise, losing excess weight, and a DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet to lower blood pressure.
