Jakarta, people who like to swim in the pool to be good for his blood pressure. Within 3 months, swimming can lower blood pressure by an average of nine points.
Normal blood pressure is defined by the average readings exceeded 120/80 mm. Number 140/90 mm or higher are categorized in high blood pressure, and readings in between these two numbers is considered a "pre-hypertension."
"Swimming is often promoted as a good exercise for people who have been outstanding. Reason is because they do not overload the joints and may cause the body to become too hot, the pool is also the second most popular sport among the elderly after a walk," said the researchers, Hirofumi Tanaka from the University of Texas at Austin.
In a research report published in the American Journal of Cardiology, swimming proven to improve blood vessel function of older adults and keeping the blood pressure.
"Swimming is a very attractive form of exercise because it is easy to do and inexpensive. And because it does not make the rivet body weight due to being held by the buoyancy of water, these were friendly to the knee and ankle joints," said Tanaka as reported by Reuters on Thursday (26 / 1/2012).
The study involved 43 adults with an average age of 60 who have high blood pressure or pre-hypertension, but still in good shape. The researchers asked the participants to swim or do relaxation exercises at random.
During 12 weeks, the group swam to pool as much as three or four times a week, gradually, to be able to achieve a 45 minute swim at a time. At the end of the study, the swimmers managed to reduce systolic blood pressure by an average of nine points. Systolic blood pressure is a number at the top of the blood pressure readings. In contrast, the rate of blood pressure in the relaxation group did not change.
Similar results were found when the researchers asked participants wore portable monitors to track their blood pressure for 24 hours. On average, the pool has a systolic blood pressure 119 mm Hg. This figure is down from 128 mm Hg at baseline.
Tim Tanaka also used ultrasound tests to measure the extent to which participants' blood vessel dilation in response to changes in blood flow. Again, the researchers again found improvements in the swim, but the result was nil in the relaxation group.
Tanaka said that for the elderly to exercise properly, swimming can certainly be a safe activity. Indeed there was a time when swimming can be risky because it is in cold water can cause changes in heart and vascular system. But most studies have shown that swimming is safe as well as a walk.
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