BACKGROUND: Psychologic stress has been associated with the development of hypertension. Aerobic exercise training appears to decrease cardiovascular responses to psychologic stress. OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of low-intensity and moderate-intensity exercise training in reducing blood pressure and cardiovascular responses to stress. DESIGN: We sought to compare the cardiovascular responses to a psychologic stressor, the Stroop Color Word Task (Stroop), before and after 12 weeks of low-intensity (about 45% maximal oxygen uptake) and moderate-intensity (about 75% maximal oxygen uptake) aerobic exercise training. METHODS:Eighteen borderline hypertensive subjects (resting blood pressure 139 +/- 9/92 +/- 9 mmHg) were divided randomly into three groups: control (no exercise), low-intensity exercise (40-50% maximal oxygen uptake), and moderate-intensity exercise (70-80% maximal oxygen uptake). Training groups exercised three times per week at the prescribed exercise intensity. Heart rate and blood pressure were recorded during the Stroop before, and after 4 and 8 weeks of exercise training. RESULTS: In the low-intensity exercise group, exercise training attenuated mean blood pressure, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure responses to the Stroop and decreased resting blood pressure. The moderate-intensity exercise group demonstrated a reduced diastolic blood pressure response to the Stroop. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that, in borderline hypertensive humans, 12 weeks of aerobic exercise training attenuates the cardiovascular responses to the Stroop. Furthermore, low-intensity exercise training appears to be a more effective stimulus than moderate-intensity exercise training in reducing resting blood pressure and blood pressure responses to stress.
RCT Entities:
BACKGROUND: Psychologic stress has been associated with the development of hypertension. Aerobic exercise training appears to decrease cardiovascular responses to psychologic stress. OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of low-intensity and moderate-intensity exercise training in reducing blood pressure and cardiovascular responses to stress. DESIGN: We sought to compare the cardiovascular responses to a psychologic stressor, the Stroop Color Word Task (Stroop), before and after 12 weeks of low-intensity (about 45% maximal oxygen uptake) and moderate-intensity (about 75% maximal oxygen uptake) aerobic exercise training. METHODS: Eighteen borderline hypertensive subjects (resting blood pressure 139 +/- 9/92 +/- 9 mmHg) were divided randomly into three groups: control (no exercise), low-intensity exercise (40-50% maximal oxygen uptake), and moderate-intensity exercise (70-80% maximal oxygen uptake). Training groups exercised three times per week at the prescribed exercise intensity. Heart rate and blood pressure were recorded during the Stroop before, and after 4 and 8 weeks of exercise training. RESULTS: In the low-intensity exercise group, exercise training attenuated mean blood pressure, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure responses to the Stroop and decreased resting blood pressure. The moderate-intensity exercise group demonstrated a reduced diastolic blood pressure response to the Stroop. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that, in borderline hypertensivehumans, 12 weeks of aerobic exercise training attenuates the cardiovascular responses to the Stroop. Furthermore, low-intensity exercise training appears to be a more effective stimulus than moderate-intensity exercise training in reducing resting blood pressure and blood pressure responses to stress.
Authors: Brian A Irving; J Y Weltman; James T Patrie; Christopher K Davis; David W Brock; Damon Swift; Eugene J Barrett; Glenn A Gaesser; Arthur Weltman Journal: J Clin Endocrinol Metab Date: 2009-03-24 Impact factor: 5.958
Authors: Ling-Ling Lee; Caroline A Mulvaney; Yoko Kin Yoke Wong; Edwin Sy Chan; Michael C Watson; Hui-Hsin Lin Journal: Cochrane Database Syst Rev Date: 2021-02-24