Zona Plus isometric handgrip device now available in Canada for patients with high blood pressure

Zona Plus^TM provides a new tool for millions of Canadians living with elevated blood pressure

The Zona Plus^TMisometric handgrip device ("Zona Plus") which combines personalized technology and an easy-to-follow 12 minutes per day, five days per week routine for patients with high blood pressure is now available in Canada. A meta-analysis published in the Journal of Hypertension that analyzed results from three studies involving 81 adult patients found that isometric handgrip therapy reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure by 10 per cent. The Zona Plus device helps patients follow an isometric handgrip exercise therapy program tailored to their unique physiology, and allows them to track changes to their blood pressure electronically.

High blood pressure, also called hypertension, affects more than 7.5 million Canadians, and is the leading cause of death and disability around the world. One in three people living with hypertension have uncontrolled blood pressure, which puts them at risk for serious health problems, including heart attack and stroke.

About Isometric Handgrip Therapy

Isometric, or static, exercises are defined as the process of contracting certain muscles without actually moving a body part. Research in this area began when a large-scale, Canadian study in the 1980s found that isometric activity reduced the incidence of high blood pressure. The study, by Carol Buck, MD, PhD and Allan P. Donner, PhD, looked at 4,273 men classified according to occupational isometric activity; the incidence of hypertension was lower amongst those in jobs with moderate or heavy isometric activity, and this persisted after statistical adjustment for age, social class, obesity and use of alcohol.

In the 1970s, Dr. Ronald Wiley, a cardiopulmonary physiologist working with US Air Force pilots had also observed the blood pressure lowering effect of isometric handgrip therapy. Dr. Wiley and his team spent years researching how to work with these results and deliver a greater blood pressure result in just minutes per day. This research led to the development of the Zona Plus, an easy-to-use, non-invasive handgrip therapy.

"Not only is hypertension common, statistics show that one in three Canadians does not have their high blood pressure controlled," said Dr. Philip Millar, Assistant Professor Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Guelph. "Clearly we need more options. The Zona Plus takes minutes per day and based on the scientific literature, this could be a new option for certain patients with high blood pressure."