Have you ever wondered why physicians are so concerned with high blood pressure and high cholesterol? I mean, neither condition is painful or really uncomfortable. A person can have both hypertension and hyperlipidemia for years and never even know there was a problem. So why do we get treated? Well, because these conditions can lead to other health problems such as heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, etc. Many of the medications we take will help prevent heart attacks and strokes. We used to only have “lifestyle intervention” which is when your doctor told you to eat healthier and get more exercise.
Which works better to decrease the risk of heart attack and stroke?
A new study named “NAVIGATOR” addressed this issue. Patients were either put on a blood pressure medication, a diabetes medication or were told to “diet and exercise” and lose 5% of their body weight. Who did better?
Patients were followed to see who developed diabetes, who had heart attacks or strokes during the study and who had heart disease 5 years later.
The patients who lost 5% of their starting weight had less diabetes, heart attacks and strokes than the patients who took medication instead. (This means a 300lb man who loses only 15lbs and keeps it off will prevent heart attacks strokes and diabetes more efficiently than expensive brand name medications!)
This just goes to prove that there is no “miracle pill” that replaces bad eating habits or lack of exercise. It is very important to control blood pressure, high cholesterol, and blood sugar, and medications can be an important way to do this. But they don’t take the place of a healthy lifestyle.
Posted by Dr. Caren Beasley on under