A single session of aquatic exercise significantly reduced nighttime systolic blood pressure by 8.6 mmHg compared to land exercise in hypertensive adults.
Meta-Analysis (n=127)
Does a single session of aquatic exercise improve post-exercise hypotension compared to land exercise or rest in hypertensive adults?
A single session of aquatic exercise induces greater nighttime post-exercise hypotension compared to land exercise or rest in hypertensive patients.
Mean Difference: -8.6 (95% CI -15–-1.5)
valor p: p=0.01
Background Post-exercise hypotension (PEH) can be an important non-pharmacological strategy in the treatment of arterial hypertension. Both aerobic and resistance exercises produce PEH, but it is not clear if the exercise environment can lead to a higher PEH. Objective This meta-analysis investigated whether a session of aquatic exercise (AE) induces PEH in comparison with control conditions such as land exercise (LE) or rest in hypertensive subjects. Methods The present systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted using the following electronic databases: PubMed, Google Scholar, and EMBASE. Ambulatory blood pressure measurements made in randomized clinical trials were pooled to compare PEH induced by AE with LE and rest conditions in hypertensive subjects. Results Data from four trials were included, which comprised 127 participants (94 women and 33 men). A 24-h analysis did not detect significant differences between AE and LE or rest for either systolic blood pressure (SBP) or diastolic blood pressure (DBP). Monitoring during the night showed that AE induced significant PEH in comparison with LE for SBP −8.6 (−15.0 to −1.5) mmHg ( p = 0.01). For DBP, the AE had pronounced PEH during the night in comparison with LE −3.7 (−4.7 to −2.8) mmHg, p = 0.000 and rest −1.7 (−1.9 to −0.8) mmHg, p = 0.000. There were no differences in daytime values. Conclusion AE showed a higher PEH effect than LE sessions and rest conditions. PEH was observed in both SBP and DBP during the night. The number of studies was low, but all studies included in this meta-analysis used 24-h monitoring. The understanding of clinical relevance of AE, inducing a higher PEH, depends on a standardization of exercise protocols plus a rigorous monitoring of blood pressure. Systematic Review Registration PROSPERO registration: CRD42021271928.
Trindade et al. (Mon,) conducted a meta-analysis in Hypertension (n=127). Aquatic exercise vs. Land exercise or rest was evaluated on Nighttime systolic blood pressure (MD -8.6 mmHg, 95% CI -15.0 to -1.5, p=0.01). A single session of aquatic exercise significantly reduced nighttime systolic blood pressure by 8.6 mmHg compared to land exercise in hypertensive adults.