Moving to a walking neighborhood is good for your blood pressure

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-11/aha-mta103015.php

Public Release: 8-Nov-2015
Moving to a walking neighborhood is good for your blood pressure
American Heart Association Meeting Report Abstract 134 (Room W203)
American Heart Association

People who moved from a neighborhood that required a vehicle to run errands to one that made walking-errands convenient were significantly less likely to have high blood pressure than people who moved from one low-walkability neighborhood to another low-walkability neighborhood, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2015.

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Researchers found that people who moved to a walking-friendly neighborhood had a 54 percent lower risk of high blood pressure than people who left one walking-unfriendly neighborhood for another.

High blood pressure is one of the main risk factors for heart disease -- the leading cause of death in the United States -- and for stroke, which is the fifth-leading cause of death. Studies show that an active lifestyle can help reduce the risk of all three of these diseases. For most healthy adults, the American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise, like walking, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity (or a combination of both) each week as part of a heart-healthy lifestyle called My Life CheckTM- Life's Simple 7.

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