What type of exercise is best for helping to lower your blood pressure? Researchers told the recent annual meeting of the American Society of Hypertension that aerobic exercise by itself is more effective than anaerobic exercise or a combination of the two.

Researchers analyzed data on more than 10,000 people from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. They were grouped according to what type of exercise they engaged in: aerobic (walking, jogging and cycling), anaerobic (weight-lifting and calisthenics), mixed aerobic and anaerobic, gardening, and no exercise.

Those who engaged exclusively in aerobic exercise had systolic blood pressure levels about three mmHg lower than those who performed both aerobic and anaerobic exercises and those who did no exercise at all.

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Source:  American Society of Hypertension. Aerobic exercise alone lowers blood pressure most effectively. Press release, May 14, 2002.