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Ambulatory blood pressure response to a bout of HIIT in metabolic syndrome patients

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Abstract

Purpose

The effectiveness of exercise to lower blood pressure may depend on the type and intensity of exercise. We study the short-term (i.e., 14-h) effects of a bout of high-intensity aerobic interval training (HIIT) on blood pressure in metabolic syndrome (MetS) patients.

Methods

Nineteen MetS patients (55.2 ± 7.3 years, 6 women) entered the study. Eight of them were normotensive and eleven hypertensive according to MetS threshold (≥130 mmHg for SBP and/or ≥85 mmHg for DBP). In the morning of 3 separated days, they underwent a cycling exercise bout of HIIT (>90% of maximal heart rate, ~85% VO2max), or a bout of isocaloric moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT; ~70% of maximal heart rate, ~60% VO2max), or a control no-exercise trial (REST). After exercise, ambulatory blood pressure (ABP; 14 h) was monitored, while subjects continued their habitual daily activities wearing a wrist-band activity monitor.

Results

No ABP differences were found for normotensive subjects. In hypertensive subjects, systolic ABP was reduced by 6.1 ± 2.2 mmHg after HIIT compared to MICT and REST (130.8 ± 3.9 vs. 137.4 ± 5.1 and 136.4 ± 3.8 mmHg, respectively; p < 0.05). However, diastolic ABP was similar in all three trials (77.2 ± 2.6 vs. 78.0 ± 2.6 and 78.9 ± 2.8 mmHg, respectively). Motion analysis revealed no differences among trials during the 14-h.

Conclusion

This study suggests that the blood pressure reducing effect of a bout of exercise is influence by the intensity of exercise. A HIIT exercise bout is superior to an equivalent bout of continuous exercise when used as a non-pharmacological aid in the treatment of hypertension in MetS.

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Abbreviations

ABP:

Ambulatory blood pressure (systolic and diastolic)

BMI:

Body mass index

DBP:

Diastolic blood pressure

GXT:

Graded exercise testing

HIIT:

High-intensity interval training

HSD:

Honest significant difference

MICT:

Moderate-intensity continuous training

MetS:

Metabolic syndrome

PEH:

Post-exercise hypotension

SBP:

Systolic blood pressure

VO2max :

Maximal oxygen consumption

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Acknowledgements

This work was partially funded by a Grant from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competivity (DEP-2014-52930-R).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Exercise Physiology Lab at Toledo, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 45071, Toledo, Spain

    M. Ramirez-Jimenez, F. Morales-Palomo, Ricardo Mora-Rodriguez & J. F. Ortega

  2. Human Performance and Sport Science Lab, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain

    J. G. Pallares

Authors
  1. M. Ramirez-Jimenez
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  2. F. Morales-Palomo
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  3. J. G. Pallares
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  4. Ricardo Mora-Rodriguez
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  5. J. F. Ortega
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Correspondence to Ricardo Mora-Rodriguez.

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Communicated by Carsten Lundby.

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Ramirez-Jimenez, M., Morales-Palomo, F., Pallares, J.G. et al. Ambulatory blood pressure response to a bout of HIIT in metabolic syndrome patients. Eur J Appl Physiol 117, 1403–1411 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-017-3631-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-017-3631-z

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