Isometric Activities Lead in Lowering Blood Pressure

Explore the new data-driven insight into managing hypertension with exercise. Discover the surprising efficiency of isometric activities over cardio workouts.

Highlights:

Isometric exercises such as wall sits and planks, are the most effective in reducing blood pressure
Despite cardio, dynamic resistance training, and HIIT also showing positive effects, the research suggests updating current exercise guidelines for hypertension
The study emphasizes that comprehensive data is necessary to support the development of new exercise guideline recommendations for arterial hypertension prevention and treatment

Static isometric activities, such as wall sits and planks, are the most effective at lowering blood pressure, according to a pooled data analysis of clinical trial results published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine ().

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‘Isometric exercises outperform cardio workouts in reducing blood pressure. Time to reconsider exercise guidelines? #BloodPressureManagement #IsometricExercises’

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However, the findings show that 'cardio' (aerobic exercise); dynamic resistance training, such as squats, press-ups, and weights; and high-intensity interval training, or HIIT for short (episodic short bouts of high-intensity exercise interspersed with short bouts of recovery at a lower intensity) are all effective.

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Time to Update the Exercise Guidelines for Hypertension

According to the researchers, it may be time to reconsider current exercise guidelines for the prevention and treatment of high blood pressure.

Previous research has shown that exercise in general is related to considerable reductions in blood pressure, with aerobic ('cardio') exercise, such as walking, jogging, and cycling, being the form most commonly suggested for blood pressure management. However, this guideline is mostly based on older data that excludes newer forms of exercise, such as HIIT and isometric exercise, leading the researchers to believe that the existing recommendations are likely outdated.

They searched research databases for clinical trials reporting the effects of an exercise training intervention lasting two or more weeks on resting blood pressure to potentially update knowledge on the optimal kind of exercise for regulating blood pressure. The exercise therapies were divided into three categories: aerobic ('cardio'); dynamic resistance training; a combination of these; and HIIT.

Healthy resting blood pressure was defined as less than 130/85 mmHg; pre-high blood pressure was defined as 130-139/85-89 mmHg; and high blood pressure was defined as 140/90 mmHg or more. The first number in a reading, systolic blood pressure, measures arterial pressure while the heart beats; the second number, diastolic blood pressure, measures arterial pressure between beats.

The final study includes 270 randomized controlled trials published between 1990 and February 2023, with a pooled data sample size of 15,827 participants. The pooled data analysis revealed significant reductions in resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure following all types of exercise, with isometric exercise training producing the greatest reductions in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

Blood pressure was reduced by 4.49/2.53 mmHg after aerobic exercise training, 4.55/3.04 mmHg after dynamic resistance training, 6.04/2.54 mmHg after combination training, 4.08/2.50 mmHg after HIIT, and 8.24/4 mmHg after isometric exercise training.

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Efficacy of Different Exercise Modes in Blood Pressure Reduction

Isometric exercise training (98%), combination training (76%), dynamic resistance training (46%), aerobic exercise training (40.5%), and HIIT (39%) had the highest effectiveness values for lowering systolic blood pressure. Secondary analyses revealed that wall squats (isometric) and running (aerobic) were the most effective individual exercises for lowering systolic (90.5%) and diastolic (91%), respectively, with isometric exercise being the most effective overall for lowering both blood pressure elements.

The researchers note that discrepancies in the categories of participants included in the clinical trials, as well as differences in statistical and methodological techniques and exercise regimens, may have influenced the findings, which should be interpreted with these limitations in mind.

"Overall, isometric exercise training is the most effective mode in reducing both systolic and diastolic blood pressure," they conclude. "These findings provide a comprehensive data-driven framework to help support the development of new exercise guideline recommendations for the prevention and treatment of arterial hypertension."

Reference:

Exercise training and resting blood pressure: a large-scale pairwise and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials - (https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2023/07/02/bjsports-2022-106503)

Source-Medindia

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