Abstract
Introduction: This study was aimed at determining the effects of a 12-week aerobic exercise
program on markers of hypertension in men.
Methods: The study was of a semi-experimental design featuring repeated measurements. A total
of 40 men (age range=37.9 ± 2.68) with primary hypertension were divided into two groups,
namely, the exercise group (n=20) and the control group (n=20) (systolic blood pressure [SBP]:
140.531 ± 0.23, diastolic blood pressure [DBP]: 90.71 ± 0.05). The exercise group participated in
a 12-week aerobic exercise program (55% to 70% of HRmax). Blood samples were taken from
both groups at the baseline and at the 4th, 8th, and 12th weeks of the training program for the
assessment of adiponectin, paraoxonase-1 (PON-1), and hydrogen peroxide (H2
O2
) levels as the
markers for investigation. A linear mixed model was also used to evaluate the association among
the markers.
Results: In the exercise group, exercise reduced the SBP and DBP at week 12 (P=0.031 and 0.023,
respectively), and adiponectin increased at weeks 8 and 12 (P=0.014 and 0.001, respectively).
The plasma PON-1 level showed a significant increase in all the three stages of measurement
(P=0.007, 0.004, and 0.002 at weeks 4, 8, and 12, respectively), whereas the H2
O2
levels showed
a significant decrease at weeks 8 and 12 (P=0.013 and 0.011, respectively). The control group
exhibited significantly decreased PON-1 (P=0.003) and adiponectin (P=0.025) levels but
significantly increased SBP at week 12 (P=0.032).
Conclusion: The exercise-induced reduction of oxidative stress exerts a considerable effect on
the reduction of blood pressure in hypertensive patients. According to our results increase in
oxidative stress has the great impact on the of blood pressure.