This prospective study investigated the individual and combined effect of body mass index (BMI), smoking status, alcohol intake, physical activity (PA), and cardiorespiratory fitness on the incidence of hypertension in men. The study cohort included 14,568 men (mean age=44.0±9.3 years) who were free of hypertension at baseline. During a mean follow-up of 10.7±7.6 years, 1,959 cases of hypertension were reported. Results indicated that the presence of five protective health factors significantly reduced the risk of hypertension by 47%. Moreover, the incidence of hypertension would decrease by 29% if all participants had five protective health factors. It was also observed that BMI, smoking status and cardiorespiratory fitness were independently associated with a reduced risk of developing hypertension. Thus, these results suggest that having a healthy lifestyle is associated with a significantly reduced risk of developing hypertension.
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