LONDON - A new study has suggested that meeting the minimum exercise guidelines isn't enough to reduce the chance of developing high blood pressure.

Current guidelines advise adults to spend a minimum of two-and-a-half hours on moderate-intensity exercise each week to stay fit and healthy, however, a new study led by the University of California, San Francisco's Benioff Children's Hospitals has shown that boosting exercise to as much as five hours a week may protect against hypertension, or high blood pressure, in midlife - particularly if this amount of exercise is sustained in a person's thirties, forties and fifties.

The researchers followed more than 5,000 adults aged between 18 to 30 for 30 years, with them answering questions on their exercise habits and having their blood pressure, weight, and cholesterol levels monitored.

Analysing the 17.9 per cent of participants who did moderate exercise for at least five hours a week during early adulthood - double the recommended minimum - they found that the likelihood of developing hypertension was 18 per cent lower than those who exercised less than five hours a week.