Swimming Lowers Blood Pressure

A low-impact form of physical activity, swimming is often suggested as a good way for older men and women to exercise.  Hirofumi Tanaka, from the University of Texas (Texas, USA), and colleagues studied 43 men and women, average age of 60 years, with high blood pressure or pre-hypertension but were otherwise healthy at the study’s start, with an average systolic blood pressure of 131 mm Hg.   For twelve weeks, each subject engaged in either supervised swimming sessions – three or four times a week, gradually working their way up to 45 minutes of swimming at a time, or learned relaxation exercises.  At the end of the study period, the swimmers lowered their systolic blood pressure by an average of 9 points.  No change was observed in the relaxation group. The researchers also tracked blood pressure change over a 24-hour period:  on average, the swimming group had a 24-hour systolic blood pressure of 119 mm Hg — down from 128 mm Hg at the study’s start.  The study authors conclude that:  “swimming exercise elicits hypotensive effects and improvements in vascular function in previously sedentary older adults.”