Exercise helps improve high blood pressure after 6 weeks

The study was conducted on 24 young people (average age was 25). They were divided into two groups: one group practiced boxing and one group performed flexibility and balance exercises with the same schedule. All volunteers had stage 1 high blood pressure, with systolic blood pressure from 130-139 mmHg and diastolic from 80-89 mmHg.

Specifically, participants performed 10 rounds of exercise (each lasting 3 minutes) with a sandbag or with a coach (mitt work), interspersed with short 1-minute rest periods, with a training regimen of 3 sessions per week.

The results showed that those who participated in boxing training sessions had an average reduction of 16 mmHg in systolic blood pressure and 10 mmHg in diastolic blood pressure. The researchers emphasized that this reduction is equivalent to, or even greater than, the results typically achieved through the use of medication.

Professor Alvaro Gurovich, study co-author from the University of Texas at El Paso (USA), said: “What we are proving is that boxing training is not just a fun exercise; it can actually change the way blood vessels work.”

Professor Gurovich further explained that after just 6 weeks, the participants’ blood vessels became more flexible, responded faster and carried more blood. This directly helps reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.

For young people who are already starting to show signs of high blood pressure, this can be a powerful and sustainable alternative to starting a lifelong course of medication.

Professor Gurovich emphasized: “Hypertension is the main factor leading to heart disease, stroke and premature death. However, many young people in the early stages of this disease do not know they have the disease.”

If left untreated, mild hypertension can get worse and cause damage that increases the risk of serious problems such as heart attack and stroke. Future trials should test whether similar benefits are achieved in older populations, the researchers said.

“These findings could reshape the way clinicians approach one of the most common cardiovascular risk factors in the world today,” the professor said.