Key result
Eight-week mat Pilates lowers systolic blood pressure but raises blood glucose in elderly women.
Why the study?
Does an eight-week mat Pilates program improve cardiometabolic parameters in sedentary, apparently healthy elderly women?
RCT (n=50)
randomly assigned
Does an eight-week mat Pilates program improve cardiometabolic parameters in sedentary, apparently healthy elderly women?
An eight-week mat Pilates program in elderly women reduced systolic blood pressure but did not favorably alter other cardiometabolic parameters, suggesting it may not substitute for conventional exercise for these specific outcomes.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Reduces SBP yet raises glucose in elderly women; challenges Pilates as cardiometabolic substitute and leaves optimal regimens open.
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the effects of mat Pilates on resting heart rate, resting blood pressure and fasting blood glucose, cholesterol and triglycerides in elderly women. METHODOLOGY: Fifty sedentary, apparently healthy females aged 60 and older were randomly assigned into a control (CG, n = 25) or an intervention (IG, n = 25) group. The IG took part in an eight-week progressive mat Pilates exercise program, three times weekly while the CG did not take part in any structured exercises throughout the eight-week period. All subjects underwent pre- and post-tests in which cardiometabolic parameters were assessed. RESULTS: In the eight-week mat Pilates program, the IG only demonstrated a significant (p ≤ 0.05) decrease in systolic BP (p = 0.040) from 135.84 ± 14.66mmHg to 128.80 ± 16.36mmHg and a significant increase in blood glucose (p = 0.000) from 5.07 ± 0.46mmol.L(-1) to 5.83 ± 0.57mmol.L(-1), whereas resting HR (p = 0.148) (from 68.80 ± 12.58beats.min(-1) to 73.20 ± 11.46beats.min(-1)), resting diastolic BP (p = 0.342) (from 75.64 ± 10.10mmHg to 77.44 ± 9.32mmHg), blood TC (p = 0.073) (from 5.37 ± 0.99mmol.L(-1) to 5.67 ± 1.04mmol.L(-1)) and blood TG (p = 0.384) (from 1.77 ± 0.88mmol.L(-1) to 1.92 ± 0.87mmol.L(-1)) did not produce any significant changes. CONCLUSION: Due to the contradictory nature of the cardiometabolic variables (except systolic BP) with the findings of previous studies, it is difficult to establish a case for using Pilates as a substitute for more conventional forms of exercising when exclusively attempting to favourably alter cardiometabolic parameters at least among the elderly women in our sample.
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Fourie et al. (2013) conducted an RCT in sedentary, apparently healthy (n=50). mat Pilates vs. no structured exercises was evaluated on systolic blood pressure (p=0.040). An 8-week mat Pilates program in elderly women decreased systolic blood pressure and increased blood glucose, with no changes in other cardiometabolic parameters.
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