Key result
High-intensity interval exercise performed 30 minutes prior to acute stress exposure attenuated systolic blood pressure reactivity by 60% compared to rest (p=0.015).
Why the study?
Exaggerated cardiovascular reactivity to stress is associated with negative cardiovascular outcomes, motivating investigation into the effects of acute high-intensity interval exercise and moderate-intensity exercise on stress-induced cardiovascular reactivity.
Does acute high-intensity interval exercise or moderate-intensity exercise reduce cardiovascular reactivity to stress in untrained normotensive males?
RCT (n=13)
Counterbalanced order
Does acute high-intensity interval exercise or moderate-intensity exercise reduce cardiovascular reactivity to stress in untrained normotensive males?
p-value: p=0.015
Performing acute high-intensity or moderate-intensity exercise 30 minutes prior to a stressor significantly attenuates systolic blood pressure reactivity in untrained males.
May blunt acute stress SBP reactivity in small normotensive samples; leaves open generalizability and clinical relevance.
Exaggerated cardiovascular (CV) reactivity to stress is associated with negative cardiovascular outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the effects of acute high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) and moderate-intensity exercise (MIE) on CV reactivity in response to a stress challenge in untrained males. Thirteen, normotensive males (age: 22.8 ± 2 years, BMI: 21.9 ± 3.6 kg/m2) underwent three conditions in counterbalanced order: HIIE (bodyweight exercises; 80–90% HRR), MIE (treadmill-jog; 55–60% HRR) and seated rest (CON) separated by 7–10 days. Thirty minutes after performing HIIE, MIE or CON, subjects underwent a 2-min cold pressor task (CPT). Blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) were measured before, during, and after CPT. CV reactivity, i.e., the change in BP and HR responses were compared across conditions. Systolic BP reactivity were attenuated following HIIE (−60%, p = 0.015) and MIE (−42%, p = 0.033) compared to CON, but no differences were observed between HIIE and MIE. HR reactivity was not different across all conditions. We conclude that performing HIIE or MIE 30 minutes prior to acute stress exposure lowers BP reactivity compared to rest in untrained males. These findings highlight the potential benefits of HIIE in lowering stress-induced elevations in blood pressure
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Fauzi et al. (2021) conducted an RCT in Untrained, normotensive males (n=13). High-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) vs. Seated rest (CON) was evaluated on Systolic blood pressure reactivity to a 2-min cold pressor task (p=0.015). High-intensity interval exercise performed 30 minutes prior to acute stress exposure attenuated systolic blood pressure reactivity by 60% compared to rest (p=0.015).
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