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(Hypertension. 2009;53:600.)
© 2009 American Heart Association, Inc.

Editorial Commentaries

Beneficial Effects of Moderate Exercise in Arterial Hypertension

From the Division of Cardiology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY.

Correspondence to P. Christian Schulze, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, 622 W 168th St, PH 3-347, New York, NY 10032. E-mail pcs2121@columbia.edu

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

	Introduction

 

Never go to excess, but let moderation be your guide.

— —Cicero

Exercise and cardiorespiratory fitness have long been associated with reduced cardiovascular mortality and overall longevity in apparently healthy individuals and also in patients with pre-existing cardiovascular diseases.^1,2 It is part of the general recommendations for lifestyle modifications in patients with early forms of cardiovascular disease and has been associated with changes in multiple cardiac risk factors, such as lipid metabolism, insulin resistance, weight, inflammation, and psychosocial variables.^3,4 Effects of exercise on blood pressure are mild to moderate, with an average reduction of –10 mm Hg systolic and –8 mm Hg diastolic. However, exercise as a specific therapeutic intervention is difficult to evaluate and dose.³

Controversy exists on the specific form of exercise, such as aerobic versus resistance training, as well as the intensity, duration, and training intervals of the specific form of exercise chosen as a lifestyle intervention regimen.⁴ Experimental evidence from animal models and clinical data in individuals with hypertension suggest that cardiac and vascular remodeling in hypertension are positively influenced by exercise but also showed detrimental results associated with excessive exercise in an animal model of hypertension.⁵

Miyachi et al⁶ studied the effects of moderate exercise on cardiovascular remodeling and function in an established animal model of hypertension with resulting heart failure (male salt-sensitive Dahl rats). Rats were exercised by swimming for 1 hour per day, 5 days per week, for 9 weeks, and sedentary animals on a high-salt diet served as controls, whereas a . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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				M. Miyachi and K. Nagata Response to Exercise Generates Lactate and Fluid Intake: Effects on Mitochondrial Function in Heart and Vascular Smooth Muscle Hypertension, August 1, 2009; 54(2): e15 - e15. [Full Text] [PDF]