Brownley KA, West SG, Hinderliter AL, Light KC
Acute aerobic exercise reduces ambulatory blood pressure
in borderline hypertensive men
Am J Hypert
(Mar) 9:200-206 1996

A small body of data generated over the past 10 years has suggested
that regular aerobic exercise has beneficial effects on blood pressure
and some improvement on cardiac morbidity and mortality. This NIH
funded project was a 24 hour ambulatory blood pressure study of 11
hypertensive and 20 normotensive men and women immediately following
either 20 minutes of stationary bicycling or a similar duration of
rest as a control. Participants repeated measurements within 72 hours
by crossing over to the exercise or rest group. Hypertensive patients
demonstrated a fall in MAP of 2-4 mmHg over a 5 hour period
immediately following exercise but this effect was rapidly diminished.
No MAP difference was noted in the normotensive group following
exercise vs. rest. Psychological testing did not reveal a major exercise
effect, and
catecholamine levels not significantly different between the groups.
Comment: The authors conclude aerobic exercise "prior to the
stresses of daily living" offers a cardioprotective reduction in blood
pressure based upon this single 20 minute episode of exercise. This
suggestion, however, exceeds the actual data presented in that overall
clinical benefit is demonstrated with the observed
transient blood pressure fall. We need to see similar and
persistent effects over prolonged time periods with cardiovascular
clinical endpoints studied longitudinally to establish a meaningful benefit.
(Sri Narsipur, MD, SUNY-HSC at Syracuse, NY)