THE EFFECTS OF CALORIC RESTRICTION AND CONTROLLED PHYSICAL EXERCISE ON HYPERTENSION IN THE ELDERLY

The overweight and sedentary life style are associated with elevated b lood pressure values in the elderly patients. The first step in the th erapy of arterial hypertension should be hygienic-behavioral measures in order to modify the life style of the patients. The present study e valuates the independent effects of caloric restriction and physical e xercise on the blood pressure and on the anti-hypertensive treatment i n elderely subjects with mild-moderate hypertension. The number of enr olled patients was 74 in the age range of 61-72 years, showing up in o ur Geriatric Day Hospital. The results obtained confirm that the non-p harmacological measures represent a valid alternative to the pharmacol ogical treatment of hypertension in the elderly patients, or may be ap plied in combination with the latter, in order to reduce the doses of pharmaca. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.