Personalized Exercise Prescription for High Blood Pressure

The European Association of Preventive Cardiology (EAPC) and the ESC Council on Hypertension have proposed that type of exercise can be prescribed according to initial blood pressure (BP) level to optimize lifestyle interventions for the prevention and treatment of high BP.  A systematic review of meta-analyses was performed to determine whether there was enough evidence for how exercise prescription could be personalized for BP control. The document discusses the findings of 34 meta-analyses on BP-lowering effects of aerobic endurance training (AT), dynamic resistance training (DRT) as well as isometric resistance training (IRT) in patients with high BP, high-normal BP, and individuals with normal BP. Patients with  high BP seem to benefit most from AT, whereas single high-quality meta-analyses each suggest that combined exercise and DRT may yield similar potential BP benefits. However, non-white high BP patients seem to benefit more from DRT. Patients with high-normal BP may need to implement DRT, with only a few existing data on alternative exercise types. Individuals with normal BP with some risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) may engage in IRT.Physical inactivity has contributed to the rising prevalence of high BP, but patients who exercise or engage in physical activity reduce their risk of CVD. Source: https://academic.oup.com/