Researchers have discovered that higher blood pressure during physical exertion and slower recovery of blood pressure after exercise may indicate a greater risk of hypertension, preclinical and clinical heart disease, and death among individuals aged middle to old.
This finding can help predict cardiovascular disease and mortality risk in young to middle-aged adults.
The current literature provides few studies that investigate the association of midlife blood pressure responses to submaximal exercise (exercise that is less than the individual’s maximum capacity) with the risk of cardiovascular outcomes and mortality later in life.
In light of this, a new study was conducted, using participants from the Framingham Heart Study.
The team evaluated the association of blood pressure changes and recovery with indicators of preclinical disease among participants who averaged 58 years old, with 53% being women.
The team then followed these participants to assess whether blood pressure changes were associated with the risk of developing hypertension, cardiovascular disease, or death.
Results
The study found that both higher systolic blood pressure (SBP, the pressure in blood vessels when the heart beats) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP, the pressure in the vessels when the heart rests between beats) during exercise are linked to an increased risk of developing hypertension.
Moreover, slower recovery of both SBP and DBP after exercise is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and death.
Significance and Recommendations
According to Vanessa Xanthakis, assistant professor of medicine and biostatistics at the Boston University School of Medicine and an investigator for the Framingham Heart Study, these findings may help in better identifying people who are at a higher risk of developing hypertension and cardiovascular disease (CVD), or dying later in life.
Xanthakis also recommends that individuals know their blood pressure figures, discuss changes during and after exercise with their physicians, and maintain a healthy lifestyle, which includes a regular schedule of physical activity, to lower the risk of disease later in life.
These findings have been published online in the Journal of the American Heart Association. The Framingham Heart Study received support from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the NIH.
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