Abstract
In order to assess the effectiveness of exercise conditioning from the standpoint of physical health, exercise-induced changes in the blood pressure (BP) and vital age (VA: an index of physical health and/or aging status) were investigated in 27 Japanese female patients with essential hypertension. They were allocated either to the experimental (E, n =18; 50.1±7.5 years) or a usual-care control (C, n=9; 51.7±9.6years) group, according to their willingness. VA was derived from 11 physical and physiological parameters measured during exercise and at rest. The E group participated in a 4-month supervised exercise conditioning program with the intensity set at the lactate threshold level for 90 to 120 minutes twice a week and practiced self-controlled aerobic conditioning three times a week. The systolic (BPs) and diastolic (BPd) blood pressure of the E group decreased significantly from 160.6 ± 12.5 to 147.3 ± 12.9 and from 97.2 ± 10.1 to 89.3 ± 12.0 mmHg, respectively. Although the mean VA (60.4 ± 9.7 years) of the E group was significantly higher than the mean pre-conditioning chronological age (CA), it was reduced significantly (54.4 ± 11.8 years) post-conditioning. Furthermore, the VA change correlated significantly (r=0.74) with the BPs, but not the BPd, change. No changes were observed in the C group. We concluded that (1) exercise conditioning improves not only the BP, but also the overall physical health status, of patients with essential hypertension and (2) the change in the health status induced during the 4-month exercise program was closely associated with the BP change.
