Does exercise training play a role in the treatment of essential hypertension?
Endurance exercise training reduces systolic and diastolic blood pressures in approximately 75% of people who have essential hypertension; these reductions are approximately 10 mmHg for both systolic and diastolic blood pressures. Exercise training at intensities of 40-70% VO2max appears to lower systolic blood pressure somewhat more and diastolic blood pressure to the same degree as higher-intensity training. Additional benefits of endurance exercise training on other risk factors for coronary heart disease make such training an efficacious intervention for people who have mild-to-moderate elevations in blood pressure.
Hagberg
J M
JM
Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, USA.
Brown
M D
MD
D001794:Blood Pressure; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*