Light Physical Activity Shown To Reduce Blood Pressure in Youth

A study following over 2,500 participants from childhood to young adulthood has linked high sedentary time to an average 4 mmHg increase in systolic blood pressure (SBP), according to research led by the Universities of Bristol and Exeter in the UK and the University of Eastern Finland. The findings, published in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, suggest that frequent engagement in light physical activity (LPA) can help mitigate this rise.

Study follows changes in movement patterns and blood pressure

The study tracked movement behaviors of children from the University of Bristol’s Children of the 90s cohort from ages 11 to 24. At the study’s onset, participants spent approximately six hours a day in sedentary activities, six hours in LPA, and around 55 minutes in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). By young adulthood, daily sedentary time had increased to nine hours, with only three hours spent in LPA and 50 minutes in MVPA.

During the study, average blood pressure rose from 106/56 mmHg in childhood to 117/67 mmHg in young adulthood. While this increase partially reflected normal physiological changes, a persistent rise in sedentary time was associated with an additional increase of 4 mmHg in SBP. Conversely, sustained LPA over the years correlated with a 3 mmHg reduction in systolic pressure, indicating its potential as a non-strenuous intervention to manage blood pressure. Interestingly, increased MVPA did not show a blood pressure-lowering effect, potentially due to its association with muscle mass gain, which could contribute to higher SBP.

Model predicts blood pressure benefits from small increases in LPA

In a simulation model, researchers found that substituting 10 minutes of sedentary time each hour with LPA could lower SBP by 3 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) by 2 mmHg. For context, previous research in adults has shown that a 5 mmHg reduction in SBP reduces heart attack and stroke risk by 10 percent.

Comprehensive health measures reinforce study findings

Blood pressure and physical activity were measured at ages 11, 15 and 24, using accelerometers for detailed tracking. Researchers also accounted for factors such as lipid profiles, glucose levels, inflammatory markers, heart rate, body composition, socio-economic status, smoking history and family cardiovascular history. Previous findings from the research group indicate that elevated blood pressure in adolescence is associated with increased risk of cardiac damage in early adulthood.

LPA highlighted as key to youth blood pressure management

"Several MVPA-based randomised controlled trials in the young population have been unsuccessful in lowering blood pressure. We noted an MVPA-induced increase in muscle mass enhanced a physiologic increase in blood pressure explaining why earlier MVPA-based randomised clinical trials were unsuccessful.”

Dr. Andrew Agbaje

The study highlights LPA as an effective strategy for reducing elevated blood pressure during critical growth periods, contrasting with previous findings from MVPA-based interventions, which often failed to reduce blood pressure in youth. According to the authors, increasing LPA by simple activities such as walking, household tasks or biking may have significant benefits, especially given World Health Organization estimates that physical inactivity could lead to 500 million new cases of non-communicable diseases by 2030, with hypertension accounting for half of these.

Reference: Agbaje AO. Lean mass longitudinally confounds sedentary time and physical activity with blood pressure progression in 2513 children. J cachexia sarcopenia muscle. 2024:jcsm.13639. doi: 10.1002/jcsm.13639

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