Cardiovascular diseases are now the leading cause of death in the world, and high blood pressure is responsible for 13.8 percent of deaths from this type of disease. High blood pressure is diagnosed when the systolic blood pressure exceeds 140 millimeters of mercury (mmHg) and/or …
Cardiovascular diseases are now the leading cause of death in the world, and high blood pressure is responsible for 13.8 percent of deaths from this type of disease.
Arterial hypertension is diagnosed when the systolic blood pressure exceeds 140 mmHg (mmHg) and/or the diastolic blood pressure exceeds 90 mmHg. It is a multifactorial disorder that involves problems such as unhealthy diet, excessive alcohol consumption, smoking, and sedentary lifestyle.
In addition to a balanced diet, it has been known for some time that strength training is a therapeutic option for hypertension, but the most effective protocols are not clear enough. Now, a study from the State University of São Paulo (UNESP), in Brazil, described in the journal ‘Scientific Relations’, confirms that the strength of training is controlled at a high intensity twice a week. effectively mitigate high blood pressure.
Mechanisms of blood pressure reduction by aerobic exercise have been studied, but little has been done about the effects of resistance exercise on hypertension, according to data reviewed by these researchers.
Giovana Rampazzo Teixeira, professor in the Department of Physical Education at UNESP in President Prudente, analyzed a group of more than 21,000 scientific articles and conducted a Cochrane meta-analysis, considered the gold standard of systematic reviews. According to the authors, the analysis focuses on the effects of variables such as age, dose-response training, load, volume, and frequency.
In this study, the sample consisted of 253 hypertensive subjects with a mean age of 59, 66 years, and a meta-analysis focused on the responses of hypertension at baseline and after spending in controlled studies the effects of learning over eight years or more weeks.
“We focused first on the volume and intensity that were considered sufficient for a significant reduction in blood pressure. In the average term, eight to ten weeks of strength training led to a 10 mmHg reduction in systolic blood pressure and blood pressure.” 4.79 mmHg. in diastolics,” said Teixeira of the São Paulo State Foundation for Research Protection Agency (FAPESP).
The study showed that effective results appeared around the twentieth training session. The blood pressure remained lower for about 14 weeks after the training ended. “In clinical practice and in gyms or fitness centers, strength training can be a treatment option for people with arterial hypertension as a non-pharmacological intervention, as long as the key variables are sufficiently known and the objectives are taken into account. Teixeira explained.
SYSTEMATIC TESTING
For a long time, only aerobic training was prescribed to treat high blood pressure, and molecular studies focused almost exclusively on the effects of this type of exercise.
“Strength training has recently been included in the Brazilian guidelines for arterial hypertension, but much more research is needed to obtain greater evidence. Future studies should explore the molecular mediators that lower vascular and arterial pressure. In strength training,” Teixeira added. .
A systematic review examined a total of 21,132 scientific articles in search of large and strong evidence of the effects of resistance training on hypertension. Previous reviews have found no such evidence, but this study breaks ground by collecting additional evidence on the influence of age, load, intensity and frequency.
After excluding 21,035 articles that did not meet the review objectives, the researchers excluded 43 of the remaining 97 articles due to duplication, leaving 54 articles for full text analysis. Fourteen were deemed relevant for inclusion in the systematic review.
The results of the analysis showed that resistance training is most effective in reducing blood pressure in protocols with load intensity controlled at high intensity, a frequency of at least twice a week and a minimum duration of eight weeks.
A moderate intensity load was defined as more than 60 percent of the heaviest weight the subject could lift at one time, known as the maximum repetition, or 1RM, so that a 10kg 1RM was the most effective training load. more than 6 kg
Most of the study’s samples are between the ages of 60 and 68. Only two minors (18-46). Seven women and men were included, only seven women, and only one man.
Subgroup analysis reveals more about the influence of age on the effects of resistance training, which lowers blood pressure significantly more in the 18-50 age group than in the 51-70 age group. “In any case, strength training can be carried out at any age. The effect on blood pressure is also useful in older people,” explains Texeira.
Therefore, future studies should investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms that support the reduction of blood pressure to resist formation.
Current knowledge shows that it elevates the heart rate, increases the production of nitric oxide, which promotes vasodilation, the diameter of the blood vessels, and boosts blood flow.
In the long term, adaptations are facilitated such as a lower resting heart rate, lower blood pressure, greater cardiac efficiency, and a higher VO2max, which is the maximum rate of oxygen consumption during vigorous exercise. Usually measured in milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute (ml/kg/min), VO2max is relevant to cardiovascular health.
Among the limitations of the analysis noted by the authors is the inclusion of patients taking antihypertensive medications, such as beta-blockers, diuretics, calcium antagonists, and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, in 11 of the 14 studies. In addition, in some studies, the inclusion of men and women in the same group was excluded is a gender-sensitive analysis of the effects of resistance training.