Mat Pilates training reduces blood pressure in both well-controlled hypertensive and normotensive postmenopausal women: a controlled clinical trial study

AIM

The aim of this study was to compare the Mat Pilates training-induced responses in resting and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM), blood pressure variability (BPV), and heart rate variability (HRV) in well-controlled hypertensive and normotensive postmenopausal women.

METHODS

Forty-seven postmenopausal women were allocated in well-controlled hypertensive (HT) and normotensive (NT) groups. The exercise program was performed three times a week for 12 weeks. Before and after the intervention resting, blood pressure (BP), ABPM, HRV, and BPV were analyzed.

RESULTS

Student's t-test showed no difference in baseline anthropometric and resting BP values between groups. The generalized estimation equation (GEE) showed no interactions (group*time), but time (p < .05) reductions in resting systolic, diastolic and mean BP after training in both groups. Sleep ambulatory systolic, diastolic and mean BP were higher overall in the HT group (p < .05 in group effect). We also found a time effect (p < .05) with significant increases in BPV in the mean diurnal and nocturnal deviations weighted for the duration of the daytime and nighttime interval (SDdn) in systolic, diastolic and mean BP, and in the average real variability (ARV) in diastolic and mean in both groups. In addition, HRV increases (p < .05 in time effect) through the percentage of pairs of adjacent RR intervals with a difference of at least 50 ms (pNN50) after training in both groups.

CONCLUSION

Both normotensive and well-controlled hypertensive postmenopausal women may have similar Mat Pilates exercise training-induced responses in ambulatory BP, BPV and HRV.

Acute and chronic effects of combined exercise on ambulatory blood pressure and its variability in hypertensive postmenopausal women

The aim of this study was to investigate the acute and chronic effects, and their correlation, after combined aerobic and resistance exercises in blood pressure (BP) and its variability (BPV) in hypertensive postmenopausal women. Fourteen hypertensive postmenopausal women monitored BP at rest and during 24 h by ambulatory BP monitoring in a control day without exercise performance a pretraining (baseline), after an acute exercise session (acute), and after a chronic exercise training for 10 weeks (chronic). After exercise training, systolic BP (SBP, Δ = -150 mmHg.24 h), diastolic BP (DBP, Δ = -96 mmHg.24 h), and mean BP (MBP, Δ = -95 mmHg.24 h) area under the curve were smaller than baseline measurements (P < 0.05) with no difference between acute and baseline measurements. The SBP (ΔSD₂₄ = -2, ΔSD_dn = -1.7, and ΔARV₂₄ = -1.9 mmHg), DBP (ΔSD₂₄ = -0.9, ΔSD_dn = -0.8, and ΔARV₂₄ = -0.9 mmHg), and MBP (ΔSD₂₄ = -1.5, ΔSD_dn = -1.3, and ΔARV₂₄ = -1.2 mmHg) variability reduced in acute session in relation to baseline, with no chronic effects. There are moderate correlations between acute and chronic responses in wake SBP, sleep DBP, and SD₂₄. In conclusion, combined exercise reduces ambulatory BP chronically but not acutely. In contrast, BPV decreases after an acute session but not chronically. Awake SBP, sleep DBP, and SD₂₄indices are promising candidates to predict individual cardiovascular responses to exercise.

Isoflavone does not promote additional effects on heart rate variability of postmenopausal women performing combined exercise training: a clinical, controlled, randomized, double-blind study

The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of ingesting isoflavones associated with combined aerobic and resistance exercise training on heart rate variability (HRV) indices in postmenopausal women. Twenty-eight healthy postmenopausal women performed 10 weeks of combined exercise training associated with isoflavone (n = 16) or placebo (n = 12) supplementation. The RR intervals (RRi) were collected for 20 min using a heart rate monitor. Analysis of HRV was performed in time (mean squared difference of successive RRi (RMSSD), standard deviation of all normal RRi (SDNN), and percentage of adjacent RRi differing by more than 50 ms (pNN50)), frequency (low-frequency percentage (LF%), high-frequency percentage (HF%), and low-/high-frequency ratio (LF/HF)), and nonlinear domains (standard deviation of the instantaneous variability of the beat-to-beat interval (SD1), long-term variability of the continuous RRi (SD2), and their ratio (SD2/SD1)). Student's t test did not show differences between groups in any general baseline characteristic variables. The results of the generalized estimating equation tests did not demonstrate interaction or group effects for any HRV indices. However, the results reported time effects for mean RR (p < 0.001), RMSSD (p = 0.044), and SD1 (p = 0.044), with increases in these indices in response to exercise training. There were no time effects for LF%, HF%, LF/HF, SDNN, pNN50, SD2, or SD2/SD1. In conclusion, isoflavone supplementation did not promote additional effects on HRV indices of postmenopausal women subjected to 10 weeks of combined exercise training. Novelty Combined training improves heart rate variability in postmenopausal women. Isoflavone supplementation did not promote additional effects on heart rate variability in postmenopausal women.