BACKGROUND

This study was designed to examine the effects of a lifestyle modification on the improvement in an exaggerated systolic blood pressure (SBP) response to exercise in normotensive females.

METHODS

The subjects were 78 normotensive females with (n = 25) and without (n = 53) an exaggerated SBP response to exercise who were not taking any medications. An exaggerated SBP response to exercise was defined according to the criteria of the Framingham Study (peak SBP: ≥190 mm Hg). A lifestyle modification program consisting of aerobic exercise and diet counseling was conducted for 12 weeks. The brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), plasma nitrate/nitrite (NOx), plasma thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, fibrinogen levels, and the white blood cell (WBC) counts were measured before and after 12-week intervention.

RESULTS

After 12-week intervention, the exercise-induced SBP elevation decreased in an exaggerated SBP response group (P < 0.05). In addition, the plasma NOx significantly increased, and the WBC counts and plasma TBARS decreased in an exaggerated SBP response group (P < 0.05). In an exaggerated SBP response group, a stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that the percent change in exercise-induced SBP elevation was independently associated with the percent changes in the plasma NOx level and baPWV (r2 = 0.647, P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that a lifestyle modification is considered to be important for reducing an exaggerated SBP response to exercise by improving the arterial stiffness and nitric oxide bioavailability.