Moderate exercise appears to lower mildly elevated blood pressure,says a UC Davis physician and researcher. Aerobic exerciseconducted at 50 percent to 65 percent of the maximal heart rate -- moderately fast walking -- lowers blood pressure over time, according to a report presented at a recent sports medicine meeting by Jeffrey L. Tanji, an associate professor of family practice at the UC Davis School of Medicine and Medical Center. The findings are part of a growing body of evidence showing that lifestyle changes may be as effective as prescribed drugs in controlling what physicians call mild hypertension. Tanji believes it may be possible to measure and dose exercise for specific patients, just as is now done with blood pressure medications. Well-established as a risk factor for heart attacks and strokes, high blood pressure afflicts 15 percent to 20 percent of U.S. adults, is the most common diagnosis for which a drug is prescribed and also accounts for one of every four visits to primary-care physicians. "Medical researchers have known for some time that some level of fitness is beneficial in controlling elevated blood pressure," says Tanji. Paradoxically, long-term studies have also shown that "people with elevated blood pressure who are very fit actually have a higher death rate than those who are moderately fit," he says. Prescribed low-intensity exercise may be the solution.