I must be an example of someone whose blood pressure and HDL are both very exercise sensitive. More exercise results in lower blood pressure and higher HDL for me.
I am more concerned with a cardiovascular event than I am with a potential increase in my cancer risk. The article notes that “The findings update the projected cancers due to CT. This risk is on par with factors such as alcohol consumption and excess body weight. Yet the researchers emphasize that the benefits of CT scans often outweigh the risks.”
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Especially given the context. CVD is the number one killer worldwide. It’s managed primarily on symptoms, but often the first symptom is a MI, frequently fatal. I know I’m increasing my CA risk, which isn’t trivial. Had I not had that scan, and the subsequent CTAs, I would likely be one of the victims of a MI with “normal” cholesterol.
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The meta study review at https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/01.hyp.0000094221.86888.ae found that 1kg weight loss reduced blood pressure by an average of ~1 point. However, there is a lot of variation between individuals for a variety of different reasons. Similarly different studies may have different results for a variety of different reasons, including which population groups they use (age, gender, weight, how long after weight loss BP measurement occurs, concurrent exercise, concurrent medical conditions, degree of hypertension…) . The graph below shows the average weight loss for the different studies in the meta review. Note that 3 of the low weight factor studies found an increase in blood pressure with weight loss, rather than decrease.
This type of cardiovascular risk calc works on a similar principle. On average the combination of calc inputs are correlated with decrease/increase in cardiovascular risk, but individuals may have different changes in risk level from population averages, for a variety of reason.
It’s a similar idea for exercise. The meta study review at https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/bjsports/57/20/1317.full.pdf found that all reviewed forms of exercise are associated with a decrease in average blood pressure, as pictured below. However, many individuals will have different results from the overall population averages.
