title: A randomized 9-month study of blood pressure and body fat responses to aerobic training versus combined aerobic and resistance training in older men.
abstract: This randomized study evaluated the impact of different exercise training modalities on blood pressure and body fat responses in apparently healthy older men. Forty-eight elderly men (aged 65-75 years) were randomly assigned to an aerobic training group (ATG, n=15), a combined aerobic and resistance training group (CTG, n=16), or a control group (n=17). Both exercise training programs were moderate-to-vigorous intensity, three days/week for 9-months. Strength, aerobic endurance, body fat and blood pressure were measured on five different occasions. The data were analyzed using a mixed-model ANOVA, and the independence between systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and group was tested. A significant main effect of group (p<0.001) was observed in strength and aerobic endurance, with higher performance observed in the CTG. A significant main effect of group (p<0.001) and time (p=0.029) was observed in body fat percentage, with a 2.3% decrease in CTG. A significant main effect of time was observed in SBP (p=0.005) and in DBP (p=0.011) for both ATG and CTG. Mean decreases in SBP and DBP, respectively, were 15 and 6 mmHg for ATG and 24 and 12 mmHg for CTG. There was a significant association for SBP (p=0.008) and DBP (p=0.005) in the CTG, with significant individual BP profile modifications. Both exercise-training programs reduce resting blood pressure. However, only the combined exercise training was effective at reducing body fat percentage; consequently, there were larger changes in blood pressure, which result in a significant reduction in hypertensive subjects.
authors.affiliation: Research Center in Sport Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal. nelsons@utad.pt
authors.forename: Nelson
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sousa
authors.forename: Romeu
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mendes
authors.forename: Catarina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Abrantes
authors.forename: Jaime
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sampaio
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Oliveira
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000502:physiology*; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000502:physiology; D005082:Physical Exertion / Q000502:physiology; D055070:Resistance Training; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Blood pressure; Body composition; Cardiovascular disease; Exercise; Long-term effects