Exercise may lower high blood pressure just as well as prescription medications. A meta-analysis of data from almost 400 different clinical trials suggests that for patients with high blood pressure, engaging in a structured exercise program may lower blood pressure just as much as pharmaceutical treatment. Programs that focus on endurance and dynamic exercises seem to be particularly effective. Lead author Dr. Huseyin Naci wrote, “We don’t think, on the basis of our study, that patients should stop taking their antihypertensive medications… but we hope that our findings will inform evidence-based discussions between clinicians and their patients.”
Just to reiterate, you should not just stop taking your prescription medications. If these findings interest you, start a conversation to your prescribing doctor about a potential program to help your blood pressure through exercise.
Source: British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2018.