Article Impact Level: HIGH Data Quality: STRONG Summary of Circulation, CIRCULATIONAHA.124.069820. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.124.069820 Dr. Joanna M. Blodgett et al.
Points
- This study analyzed the impact of 24-hour movement behaviors, including exercise, sleep, and sedentary activities, on blood pressure (BP) in 14,761 participants.
- Findings showed that more time spent on exercise or sleep was associated with reductions in both systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure.
- Just an additional 5 minutes of exercise-like activity reduced SBP by –0.68 mm Hg and DBP by –0.54 mm Hg.
- Reallocating 20–27 minutes to exercise lowered SBP, while reallocating 10–15 minutes reduced DBP, highlighting the potential for small shifts in daily activities to improve BP.
- The study emphasizes that increasing exercise, even in small increments, could be a practical strategy to support BP management in everyday settings.
Summary
This cross-sectional study explored the relationship between 24-hour movement behaviors and blood pressure (BP) in free-living individuals. Data from 14,761 participants (mean age 54.2 ± 9.6 years) in the Prospective Physical Activity, Sitting, and Sleep (ProPASS) consortium were analyzed. The study focused on six components of daily behavior: sleeping, sedentary behavior, standing, slow walking, fast walking, and exercise-like activity (e.g., running and cycling). Using compositional data analysis and adjusting for relevant covariates, the researchers aimed to estimate the BP reductions that could result from reallocating time between these behaviors.
The results revealed that more time on exercise or sleep was associated with lower systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). Specifically, an additional 5 minutes of exercise-like activity was linked to a reduction in SBP by –0.68 mm Hg (95% confidence interval [CI], –0.15 to –1.21) and DBP by –0.54 mm Hg (95% CI, –0.19 to 0.89). Clinically meaningful reductions in BP were estimated after reallocating 20 to 27 minutes from other behaviors to exercise for SBP and 10 to 15 minutes for DBP. Additionally, while more sedentary time was negatively associated with BP, standing and walking behaviors had minimal effects on BP.
In conclusion, this study highlights the beneficial effects of even small increases in exercise on BP regulation in a real-world setting. The findings emphasize that reallocating just a few minutes of sedentary behavior or other low-impact activities into exercise could contribute to clinically meaningful improvements in SBP and DBP. This underscores the importance of promoting increased physical activity in BP management strategies.
Link to the article: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.124.069820
References Blodgett, J. M., Ahmadi, M. N., Atkin, A. J., Pulsford, R. M., Rangul, V., Chastin, S., Chan, H.-W., Suorsa, K., Bakker, E. A., Gupta, N., Hettiarachchi, P., Johansson, P. J., Sherar, L. B., Del Pozo Cruz, B., Koemel, N., Mishra, G. D., Eijsvogels, T. M. H., Stenholm, S., Hughes, A. D., … Thijssen, D. H. J. (2024). Device-measured 24-hour movement behaviors and blood pressure: A 6-part compositional individual participant data analysis in the propass consortium. Circulation, CIRCULATIONAHA.124.069820. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.124.069820
