Objectives Endothelial function is an important factor in the assessment of atherosclerosis, lipid deposition in the inner walls of the arteries, high blood pressure, and heart failure. Vascular endothelial cells play an important role in regulating vascular activities by producing substances such as nitric oxide to stimulate vessels.Methods & Materials The current study was attempted to find out the effect of resistance training on old women's plasma nitric oxide levels and blood pressure. Twenty-four postmenopausal women (age: 67.37±6.02, BMI=26.87±4.16, and WHR=0.92±0.4 mean±SD) were selected objectively and divided into control (n=12) and experimental (n=12) groups randomly. Experimental group performed resistance training for eight weeks, three sessions per week with 40-65% intensity. Study variables were measured and recorded before and after training program. Paired and independent sample t tests were used for data analysis. The significance level was lower than 0.05. Results The results revealed that resistance training had a significant effect on nitric oxide levels (P=0.01) and blood pressure (P=0.006, P=0.002) in old women. Conclusion A period of resistance training with present study characteristics can reduce both systolic and diastolic hypotension and increase plasma nitric oxide levels, and therefore is recommended for prevention of cardiovascular diseases, atherosclerosis, and hypertension in old women. A B S T R A C T 17pecially resistance exercises may reduce or delay the impairment of the endothelial function in the elderly people and causes the endothelial function to return in people with atherosclerosis [8,9]. Therefore, due to limited research on the effect of physical activity on elderly people and the all the above-mentioned materials, current study was undertaken with the aim to investigate the effect of a resistance training course on the concentration of nitric oxide in elderly women. Methods and MaterialsThis research was quasi-experimental and was performed as a 2-group research project with pre-test and post-test. 24 elderly women were selected purposefully as the research sample. They did not have any history of participation in resistance training and were not afflicted with heart disease or specific illnesses. After filling out the consent form by the subjects, they were randomly divided into two groups: resistance training group and control group (n=12). First, the questionnaire of general health, physical activity level, and the medical history was completed by the subjects. To assess their initial situation, we measured their height, weight, BMI, daily systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and resting heart rate. Experimental group participated in course comprising eight weeks of resistance training, three sessions a week with 40-65% intensity and at most one repetition [10][11][12].Blood pressure was measured 48 hours before and after resistance training and 5 cc blood sample was taken from each subject to measure the concentration of nitric oxide. Blood sampling was done...
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