High pollution area residents must exercise to reduce their risk of hypertension

Pollution level is a big concern as more than 91 per cent of people worldwide live in areas with extreme air pollution. From breathing issues, heart disease to hypertension, increased pollution levels can impact our health in more ways than one.

While the pollution went down tremendously during the lockdown 1.0, with everything re-opening, the pollution levels are back to unsafe.

But the good news is that exercising regularly can reduce your risk of hypertension even if you are living in a high-pollution area.

In a study published in the American Heart Association's flagship journal Circulation, more than 1,40,000 non-hypertensive adults in Taiwan were analysed for five years. The individuals were divided into three groups based on their physical activity level - inactive, moderately active and highly active.

The exposure to air pollution was also classified by researchers into low, moderate and high levels. And high blood pressure was defined as 140/90 mm Hg.

It was found that high physical activity combined with lower air pollution was linked with a lower risk of high blood pressure. While physical activity continued to have a protective effect even when people were exposed to high pollution levels.

This study concluded that physical activity even in highly polluted areas is helpful in preventing high blood pressure.

People who exercised moderately had four per cent lower risk while those who were involved in intense exercise reduced their risk by 13 per cent.

The study also found that increased exposure to the PM2.5 was associated with 38 per cent increased risk of hypertension.

The study promotes increasing the level of physical activity among people who live in highly polluted areas.