Key result
Interval training plus breathing exercises reduces CRP by ~1.4 mg/L in adults with hypertension.
Why the study?
Hypertension is associated with impaired quality of life, psychological distress, inflammation, and cardiovascular risk, but the effects of high-intensity bodyweight interval training and breathing exercises on these outcomes are unclear.
Does high-intensity bodyweight interval training, breathing exercises, or their combination improve blood pressure, stress biomarkers, and psychological distress in adults with hypertension?
RCT (n=96)
Single-blind
1:1:1:1 allocation using sealed envelopes
No
Does high-intensity bodyweight interval training, breathing exercises, or their combination improve blood pressure, stress biomarkers, and psychological distress in adults with hypertension?
Supervised high-intensity bodyweight interval training and breathing exercises effectively reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure in inactive adults with hypertension, though combining the modalities offered no synergistic benefits.
Breathing exercises alone may suffice to lower CRP in hypertension; extends non-pharmacologic anti-inflammatory options without combined superiority.
Hypertension is a major public health challenge associated with impaired quality of life, psychological distress, inflammation, and cardiovascular risk. This randomized controlled trial compared high-intensity bodyweight interval training (HIBIT), breathing exercises (BE), and their combination with a non-exercise control. Ninety-six adults with hypertension were randomized equally to control, BE, HIBIT, or combined exercise for 10 weeks. Quality of life (QoL), psychological distress, cortisol, C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and resting heart rate were assessed at baseline and post-intervention. The primary intention-to-treat analysis included all 96 randomized participants and used ANCOVA adjusted for the corresponding baseline outcome; a per-protocol analysis of 87 participants was conducted as a sensitivity analysis. Adjusted group effects were observed for CRP (F(3, 91) = 4.79, p = 0.004, partial eta squared = 0.136), SBP (F(3, 91) = 19.06, p < 0.001, partial eta squared = 0.386), and DBP (F(3, 91) = 9.42, p < 0.001, partial eta squared = 0.237). Adjusted CRP was lower in the BE and combined-exercise groups than in the control group, while adjusted SBP and DBP were lower in all three intervention groups than in the control group. No adjusted group effects were identified for QoL, psychological distress, cortisol, IL-6, or resting heart rate. The per-protocol analysis produced the same overall pattern. HIBIT, BE, and their combination were associated with lower post-intervention blood pressure than control, but the combined intervention was not superior to either single intervention. The CRP finding and model-sensitive secondary outcomes should be interpreted cautiously and confirmed in larger, more diverse samples. Clinical trial registration number : Thai Clinical Trials Registry, TCTR20230707003 (https://www.thaiclinicaltrials.org), registered 6 July 2023.
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Herawati et al. (2026) conducted an RCT in Hypertension (n=96). Combined exercise (high-intensity bodyweight interval training and breathing exercises) vs. Usual daily activities (Control) was evaluated on C-reactive protein (CRP) (MD 1.40 mg/L, 95% CI 0.61-2.19, p=0.004). A 10-week combined intervention of high-intensity bodyweight interval training and breathing exercises significantly reduced C-reactive protein levels by 1.40 mg/L compared to control in adults with hypertension, with no synergistic benefit over breathing exercises alone.
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