Moderate exercise lowers hypertension risk

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COLUMBIA, S.C., Aug. 23 (UPI) -- Physically inactive children who have a parent with high blood pressure are at a 70 percent greater risk than others of hypertension, a U.S. researcher says.

Robin Shook of the University of South Carolina said the study found being even moderately active reduced the risk of high blood pressure. Shook and colleagues analyzed almost five years of data involving about 6,000 people, one-third of whom said a parent had high blood pressure.

The study, published in the journal Hypertension, found inactive people with a family history had a 70 percent higher risk of developing high blood pressure, or hypertension, than fit people with no similar family history.

"Regular physical activity will reduce your risk of developing hypertension if you have a family history of hypertension," Shook said in a statement.