NEW YORK, Feb 10 (Reuters Health) -- New research shows that a single
45-minute treadmill session significantly reduced blood pressure for almost a
day in older men with mild hypertension.
Experts believe that the finding from this small study may motivate
patients to start exercise programs, and to stick to them.
"We sought to determine whether reductions in blood pressure in
hypertensives after acute exercise persist for more than the 2 to 3 hours found
in controlled laboratory settings," write Nadine S. Taylor-Tolbert of the
University of Maryland in College Park, and colleagues. Their report is
published in the American Journal of Hypertension.
Prior studies found that long-term exercise lowers blood pressure in most
people with essential hypertension (high blood pressure with no known cause).
Unlike drug therapy, exercise offers a host of health benefits without the risk
of side effects.
Controlling high blood pressure is important in order to reduce the risk
of heart attack or stroke.
The study consisted of 11 obese, inactive men aged 49 to 67, who had
essential hypertension, with average blood pressure readings of 153/96 --
readings over 140/90 being considered high. None of the subjects smoked or had
diabetes or cardiovascular disease. Those taking medications to treat high blood
pressure had their doctors' approval to temporarily stop treatment that might
influence study results. The study participants followed a special diet to rule
out high blood pressure produced by eating certain foods.
During the study, two blood pressure readings were taken during a 2-week
period; one immediately after aerobic exercise consisting of three 15-minute
treadmill sessions separated by 4 minutes of seated rest, and the other not
preceded by exercise.
Results showed that a single aerobic exercise session reduced blood
pressure in the study participants for "a substantial portion of the subsequent
24 hours compared to a control day when no previous exercise was performed."
"This beneficial effect was apparent after the first exercise session,
giving patients a motivational lift to continue," said Dr. Michael Weber, an
editor of the American Journal of Hypertension. "Seeing a reduction in blood
pressure is an inducement that provides immediate positive feedback to help the
patients continue their exercise program," he said in a statement.
"This is another study that shows the benefits of exercise," said Dr.
Bernard Chaitman, professor of medicine and chief of cardiology at Saint Louis
University School of Medicine in Missouri, in an interview with Reuters Health.
"It is limited because only 11 patients were studied and just one exercise
(rather than a training program) was reviewed. But it substantiates other
studies showing that exercise has a mild beneficial effect on reducing blood
pressure. An exercise program alone might not work for those with
moderate-to-severe hypertension."
Despite its limitations, the authors view their study as a basis for
additional investigation. "If the same responses found in this study were
evident after only 10 minutes of exercise, a hypertensive person could go for a
vigorous 10-minute walk at breakfast, lunch, and dinner and they would
experience significant reductions in blood pressure for nearly every hour of the
day," Taylor-Tolbert and colleagues write.
Chaitman agrees in part. "Exercise should be an important part of
everybody's lifestyle. Sixty percent of Americans are sedentary. We have to get
up out of our chairs and get some exercise into our daily routine, as busy as we
are, to keep fit and feel better."
