Managing Cardiometabolic Risk

Exercise and Elevated Blood Pressure

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Regular aerobic exercise is known to reduce blood pressure (90-95). However, the degree of change reported has been inconsistent. For example, a large meta-analysis of 54 randomized, controlled trials found that aerobic exercise reduces systolic and diastolic blood pressure by approximately 4 and 3 mmHg, respectively (90). These results agree with some findings (91, 92, 95), are slightly lower than other findings (6 to 7 mmHg reduction in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure) (93), and are significantly lower than the 11 and 8 mmHg reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure attributed to aerobic exercise in another review (94). These minor discrepancies notwithstanding, exercise can be said to cause a modest reduction in blood pressure. Though physical activity will reduce blood pressure, this decrease is rarely significant enough to return blood pressure to normal levels (96).

Reference

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90. Whelton SP, Chin A, Xin X, et al. Effect of aerobic exercise on blood pressure: a meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials. Ann Intern Med 2002; 136: 493-503.

91. Kelley GA. Effects of aerobic exercise in normotensive adults: a brief meta-analytic review of controlled clinical trials. South Med J 1995; 88: 42-6.

92. Kelley GA. Aerobic exercise and resting blood pressure among women: a meta-analysis. Prev Med 1999; 28: 264-75.

93. Arroll B and Beaglehole R. Does physical activity lower blood pressure: a critical review of the clinical trials. J Clin Epidemiol 1992; 45: 439-47.

94. Hagberg JM, Park JJ and Brown MD. The role of exercise training in the treatment of hypertension: an update. Sports Med 2000; 30: 193-206.

95. Fagard RH. Physical activity in the prevention and treatment of hypertension in the obese. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1999; 31: S624-30.

96. Eriksson J, Taimela S and Koivisto VA. Exercise and the metabolic syndrome. Diabetologia 1997; 40: 125-35.

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