Can You Reduce Your Medications?

One of the questions that I get asked frequently goes something like this: “Dr. Chet, how can I reduce the medications I’m taking?” Along with that question is, “I don’t want to have to take medications for blood pressure or cholesterol or diabetes. What can I do?” As we proceed with a focus on Aging with a Vengeance, a recently published study illustrated at least a partial answer to these questions.

Researchers in Spain recruited 64 subjects for an exercise program. The exercise program was a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) program, three days a week, that ran for four months under staff supervision. The rest of the year these subjects were given activity monitors that automatically uploaded data on activity, sleep, etc. The researchers also took a variety of blood samples for testing metabolic variables, tested the subjects’ fitness levels, assessed anthropomorphic measures such as body weight and waist circumference, and recorded medications related to blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood sugars. The subjects were retested after two years and again after five years.

Over the period of five years, an amazing 51 subjects completed the exercise sessions and all the testing required. That, in and of itself, is remarkable—I’ve done this type of study, and holding on to the subjects is one of the main challenges.

The primary question was answered: those who exercised as the study required took fewer medications for blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar control. As you might expect, that isn’t the entire story, so we’ll wrap this up on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?