Key result
Walk training with blood flow restriction significantly reduced systolic blood pressure (from 128.5 to 119.1 mmHg; Cohen’s d = -1.30; p < 0.01) and improved heart rate variability in middle-aged men.
Why the study?
The study investigated the effects of low-intensity walk training with versus without blood flow restriction on resting heart rate variability and blood pressure in middle-aged men.
Does low-intensity walk training with blood flow restriction improve resting heart rate variability and blood pressure in middle-aged men?
RCT (n=21)
randomly assigned
Does low-intensity walk training with blood flow restriction improve resting heart rate variability and blood pressure in middle-aged men?
Standardized Mean Difference: -1.3
p-value: p=<0.01
Low-intensity walk training combined with blood flow restriction over 6 weeks improves resting heart rate variability and systolic blood pressure in middle-aged men.
BFR-augmented walking may aid SBP control in middle-aged men; extends BFR evidence to HRV and aerobic modalities.
Aim: To investigate the effects of low-intensity walk training with and without blood flow restriction (BRF) on resting heart rate variability (HRV) and blood pressure (BP) in middle-aged men. Methods: Twenty-one men were randomly assigned into the walk training group with (BRF-W; n = 11) and without (NOR-W; n = 10) BFR. The resting HRV and blood pressure were assessed pre- and post-6 weeks of the intervention [3 times/week, 5 sets of 3-min walking (6 km.h-1) with 1-min of rest, totalizing 18 sessions of training]. The BFR-W group received the occlusive stimulus before of training sessions though of a standard sphygmomanometer and performed the training sessions with the vascular occlusion (80-100 mmHg) in both the legs. Results: Only BRF-W group improved HRV on time domain indices (SDNN and RMSSD; p < 0.05) after training but it was not found differences on frequency domain indices. In addition, systolic blood pressure (SBP) improved after training (PRE: 128.5 ± 5.9 vs POST: 119.1 ± 8.6 mmHg; Cohen’s d = -1.30; p < 0.01) only in BFR-W group. There was not a significant difference on diastolic blood pressure (DBP) after training, however, effect size was moderate for BFR-W (Cohen’s d = -0.56; p > 0.05). Conclusion: Our results showed that walking training with blood flow restriction can improve health cardiovascular parameters in middle-aged men.
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Ferreira et al. (2019) reported an RCT. Walk training with blood flow restriction vs. Walk training without blood flow restriction was evaluated on Resting heart rate variability and blood pressure (Cohen's d -1.30, p=<0.01). Walk training with blood flow restriction significantly reduced systolic blood pressure (from 128.5 to 119.1 mmHg; Cohen’s d = -1.30; p < 0.01) and improved heart rate variability in middle-aged men.
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