The Nation - News from Oct. 3, 1989

Consuming less salt and alcohol, losing weight and moderately increasing exercise can be very effective in preventing high blood pressure, researchers said. Researchers at Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago showed relatively easily attainable life-style changes can go a long way toward reducing the risk of high blood pressure. It is the first study to show that such steps, often recommended for people who already have high blood pressure, can also reduce the risk of developing the condition, said Rose Stamler, a professor of epidemiology who headed the study and presented the findings at a Houston conference sponsored by the American Medical Assn. The findings will be published in the Journal of the American Medical Assn.