Exercise Directly Reduces Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases

For many years, it has been common knowledge that high blood pressure (hypertension) mirror the heart's condition. However, in recent years, it has been found that blood pressure variability (BPV) shows clearer insights into cardiology and the risks of cardiovascular conditions.

What is BPV?

BPV, just like its name, is the fluctuation of blood pressure over different periods of time. While some variation is normal and helps maintain stability in the body, high variation is a telling sign of an issue in the heart. Researchers found that elevated short-term BPV was directly related to a higher risk of cardiovascular events and organ damage. This variability could damage blood vessels from the pressure and activate inflammatory responses. Therefore, controlling BPV may successfully prevent and lower these risks.

Methods

Researchers compared two exercise plans: one with only aerobic training (sustained activity) and one with aerobic and resistance training (building muscle strength). The training plan was 12 weeks long and volunteers were instructed to exercise for 80 minutes three times a week. Study volunteers were all male above 45 years of age and with diagnosed hypertension.

Those in group 1 (only aerobic training) did 10 minutes of warm-up, 60 minutes of treadmill exercise, and 10 minutes of cool-down. Those in group 2 did 10 minutes of warm-up, 40 minutes of aerobic exercise (swimming, running, walking, etc.), 20 minutes of resistance exercise (leg press, shoulder press, etc.), and 10 minutes of cool-down.

However, those with more severe heart conditions (such as secondary hypertension, significant heart valve diseases, etc.) were excluded.

BPV was measured several times. Systolic BPV (the pressure in veins when the heart pumps blood) was measured over 24 hours, during day-time, and during night time. Diastolic (the pressure when the heart is relaxed) BPV was also measured in the same time intervals.

Night-time BPV often reveals underlying health issues because blood pressure isn't affected by external factors (physical activity and stress). Because of this, nighttime readings are a clearer example of underlying health. High BPV is associated with organ damage and cardiovascular events, and even death.

Day-time BPV is reflective of outside factors someone might have. It can also at as a comparison for those who gets nervous while getting blood pressure checked in a hospital setting.

Results

It was found that 24-h systolic BPV decreased dramatically in both groups but to a greater extent in the group that did aerobic and resistance training. Additionally, night-time systolic BPV decreased in only the group doing both types of exercise, and day-time BPV changed in both groups.

This is new evidence that exercise could reduce BPV. In the researchers' previous similar study, they found that there were no effects on 24-h systolic BPV in hypertensive patients. The most likely reason is that the patients in this study did continuous training, which is doing an activity at a moderate intensity for a long period.

Therefore, exercise (especially resistance training and continuous exercise) has been found to be positively linked to cardiovascular conditions, and a worthwhile thing to put effort into to improve life quality.