Mixed
Across all populations, antihypertensive medications achieve greater systolic blood pressure (SBP) reductions than structured exercise interventions, with a mean difference of -3.96 mmHg.
Structured exercise lowers blood pressure, but not as much as medication. If you have hypertension, do not rely on exercise alone to manage it; consult your doctor about medication. Exercise is a valuable adjunct, but medication provides a stronger effect.
In analyses that combined all populations, antihypertensive medications achieved higher reductions in baseline SBP compared with exercise interventions (mean difference −3.96 mmHg, 95% CrI −5.02 to −2.91).
Why this rating
Network meta-analysis of 391 RCTs involving over 39,000 participants.
Source
How does exercise treatment compare with antihypertensive medications? A network meta-analysis of 391 randomised controlled trials assessing exercise and medication effects on systolic blood pressure
Huseyin Naci et al. · British Journal of Sports Medicine · 2018
DOI 10.1136/bjsports-2018-099921
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