Sex Differences in Blood Pressure and Body Composition in Hypertensive Adults with Central Obesity
Riza Adriyani, Dody Iskandar, Ahmad Hendra Dana

Balai Kesehatan Olahraga Masyarakat Bandung

Abstract

Regular exercise is recommended for hypertensive adults who have a low-moderate cardiovascular risk. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a time-efficient method and might have a better cardiometabolic protection effect. The purpose of this study is to determine sex differences in blood pressure and body composition. Methods: 22 hypertensive adults with central obesity (males- n = 16, age 35.56 ± 4.56 y, waist circumference (WC) 98.85 ± 6.85 cm, systolic blood pressure (SBP) 134.22 ± 2.86 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure (DBP) 85.03 ± 6.58 mmHg) - (females- n = 6, age 37.83 ± 5.46 y, WC 95.09 ± 7.49 cm, SBP 133.50 ± 6.47 mmHg, DBP 89.80 ± 5.94 mmHg) participated in HIIT which consisted of three intervals of 4 min at 77-95 % of maximum heart rate (MHR) interspersed with 3 min of active recovery at 64-76 % of MHR, three sessions per week for 10 weeks. Results: SBP and DBP reduced significantly in males. There were also significant improvements in waist-hip ratio, visceral fat level, and body fat mass in males (p<0.05). WC reduced both in males and females (p<0.05). Conclusion: There could be sex differences in cardiometabolic adaptations following HIIT.

Keywords: cardiometabolic, high intensity, obesity

Topic: Sport Medicine and Nutrition