Abstract
Epidemiological studies suggest an inverse relationship between physical activity or fitness and blood pressure. In a meta-analysis of 44 randomized controlled intervention trials, the weighted net change in conventional systolic/diastolic blood pressure in response to dynamic aerobic training averaged −3.4/−2.4 mmHg (P<0.001). The effect on blood pressure was more pronounced in hypertensives than in normotensives. This type of training also lowered the blood pressure measured during ambulatory monitoring and during exercise. However, exercise appears to be less effective than diet in lowering blood pressure (P<0.02), and adding exercise to diet does not seem to further reduce blood pressure.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 digital issues and online access to articles
$119.00 per year
only $9.92 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Fagard RH . Physical activity, fitness and blood pressure. In: Birkenhäger WH, Reid JL, Bulpitt CJ (eds), Handbook of Hypertension, Vol 20: Epidemiology of Hypertension. Elsevier: Amsterdam, 2000, pp 191–211.
Fagard RH . Exercise characteristics and the blood pressure response to dynamic physical training. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2001; 33(Suppl): S484–S492.
Fagard RH . Physical activity in the prevention and treatment of hypertension in the obese. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1999; 31(Suppl): S624–S630.
Halbert JA et al. The effectiveness of exercise training in lowering blood pressure: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of 4 weeks or longer. J Hum Hypertens 1997; 11: 641–649.
Whelton SP, Chin A, Xin X, He J . Effect of aerobic exercise on blood pressure: a meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials. Ann Intern Med 2002; 136: 493–503.
Kelley GA . Aerobic exercise and resting blood pressure among women: a meta-analysis. Prev Med 1999; 28: 264–275.
Kelley G, Tran ZV . Aerobic exercise and normotensive adults: a meta-analysis. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1995; 27: 1371–1377.
Pescatello LS et al. American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand: Exercise and Hypertension. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2004; 46: 533–553.
Fagard RH, Cornelissen VA . Physical activity, exercise, fitness and blood pressure. In: Battagay EJ, Lip GYH, Bakris GL (eds), Hypertension: Principles and Practice. Taylor & Francis Group: Boca Raton, USA, 2005, pp 195–206.
Fagard R, Amery A . Physical exercise in hypertension. In: Laragh JH, Brenner BM, Hypertension: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis and Management, 2nd edn. Raven Press: New York, 1995, pp 2669–2681.
Arakawa K . Antihypertensive mechanisms of exercise. J Hypertens 1993; 11: 223–229.
Kingwell BA, Sherrard D, Jennings GM, Dart AM . Four weeks of cycle training increases basal production of nitric oxide from the forearm. Am J Physiol 1997; 272: H1070–H1077.
Higashi Y et al. Regular aerobic exercise augments endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation in normotensive as well as hypertensive subjects. Role of endothelium-derived nitric oxide. Circulation 1999; 100: 1194–1202.
Higashi Y et al. Daily aerobic exercise improves reactive hyperemia in patients with essential hypertension. Hypertension 1999; 33(part II): 591–597.
Acknowledgements
This work was commissioned by the Factors Affecting Hypertension Task Force of the European branch of the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI Europe). At the time of the workshop, industry members of this task force were Frito Lay, Kellog, RHM Technology, Unilever and Valio. Further infor-mation about ILSI Europe can be obtained through info@ilsieurope.be or tel. +32 (0) 2 771 0014.
The author gratefully acknowledge the secretarial assistance of N Ausseloos. R Fagard is holder of the Professor A Amery Chair in Hypertension Research, founded by Merck, Sharp & Dohme, Belgium.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fagard, R. Effects of exercise, diet and their combination on blood pressure. J Hum Hypertens 19 (Suppl 3), S20–S24 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jhh.1001956
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jhh.1001956
Keywords
This article is cited by
-
Short term e-bicycle riding results in favorable cardiometabolic shifts in moderately active adults
European Journal of Applied Physiology (2024)
-
Effect of exercise as adjuvant to energy-restricted diets on quality of life and depression outcomes: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Quality of Life Research (2022)
-
An epidermal patch for the simultaneous monitoring of haemodynamic and metabolic biomarkers
Nature Biomedical Engineering (2021)
-
Diet and exercise training reduce blood pressure and improve autonomic modulation in women with prehypertension
European Journal of Applied Physiology (2012)
-
Effect of α-lipoic acid and exercise training on cardiovascular disease risk in obesity with impaired glucose tolerance
Lipids in Health and Disease (2011)