Regular exercise and physical activity, together with prescribed medication, is the really useful route for lowering blood pressure in patients with hypertension. A recent study has identified isometric exercises – where the muscles are engaged without movement – as the very best types of workout for reducing blood pressure.

Isometric exercise involves tightening a selected muscle or group of muscles with none noticeable change in length. Wall sit, plank and glute bridge are examples of isometric exercises used for endurance training and maintaining muscular strength.

Aerobic exercises reminiscent of walking, running and cycling are mostly really useful for reducing blood pressure. Researchers of the most recent study imagine these recommendations are based on older data and don’t include latest types of exercise.

The team evaluated databases of 270 randomized controlled trials that looked into the consequences of an exercise intervention on resting blood pressure. There have been 15,827 participants and all of the trials lasted for 2 weeks or more.

The resting blood pressure values were classified as healthy (below 130/85 mmHg), pre-high blood pressure (130-139/85–89 mmHg) and hypertension (140/90 mmHg or more). At the identical time, the exercises were categorized into aerobic, dynamic resistance training, a mix of each, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and isometric exercises.

The study found that isometric exercises were best effective in reducing systolic and diastolic pressures. Other types of exercise reminiscent of cardio, squats, push-ups and high-intensity interval training can even provide substantial advantages.

Systolic pressure is caused when the center pumps out blood, while diastolic pressure is when the center gets full of blood.

The effectiveness of isometric training in reducing systolic pressure was 98%, while it was 76% for the combined training, followed by dynamic resistance training, aerobic exercise training and HIIT. While analyzing further, wall squats (isometric) and running (aerobic) were essentially the most effective ones amongst individual exercises.

Researchers suggest a re-evaluation of the present exercise guidelines based on their research findings.

“Various exercise training modes improve resting blood pressure, particularly isometric exercise. The outcomes of this evaluation should inform future exercise guideline recommendations for the prevention and treatment of arterial hypertension,” they wrote.

Published by Medicaldaily.com