BubbliciousLady
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One of the best ways to live a long and healthy life is to keep your blood pressure within normal levels. It turns out that one way to do that is to go to church every week, reports Reuters of new research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Ga.
The study: In this large, multiethnic study of nearly 14,500 American men and women age 20 years and older who were part of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the participants were asked how frequently they attended church or religious services and had their blood pressure taken at home and in mobile examination centers. About 40 percent said they attended religious services once a week or more, 28 percent worshiped less than once a week and 33 percent said they never attended services.
The results: Lead researchers Dr. R. Frank Gillum and Dr. Deborah D. Ingram found that those who attended at least once a week had lower blood pressure and a lower prevalence of high blood pressure, compared with people who never attended religious services. Specifically, the once-a-week churchgoers had systolic (the top number) readings that were 1.46 mm Hg lower than those who never attended, while those who attended more than once a week had systolic levels 3.03 mm Hg lower than the never-attenders, reports Reuters. The study findings were published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine.
The study: In this large, multiethnic study of nearly 14,500 American men and women age 20 years and older who were part of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the participants were asked how frequently they attended church or religious services and had their blood pressure taken at home and in mobile examination centers. About 40 percent said they attended religious services once a week or more, 28 percent worshiped less than once a week and 33 percent said they never attended services.
The results: Lead researchers Dr. R. Frank Gillum and Dr. Deborah D. Ingram found that those who attended at least once a week had lower blood pressure and a lower prevalence of high blood pressure, compared with people who never attended religious services. Specifically, the once-a-week churchgoers had systolic (the top number) readings that were 1.46 mm Hg lower than those who never attended, while those who attended more than once a week had systolic levels 3.03 mm Hg lower than the never-attenders, reports Reuters. The study findings were published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine.