Interaction effect of green tea consumption and resistance training on office and ambulatory cardiovascular parameters in women with high‐normal/stage 1 hypertension

Abstract

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Resistance exercise for the management of arterial hypertension: An intervention that works!

“…The results of Taati and colleagues 6 published in this issue of the journal also show a significant reduction in ambulatory systolic blood pressure as a result of resistant exercise. Their main findings could be summarized as follows: (a) dynamic resistance exercise alone reduced daytime (−12.4 mm Hg) and 24‐hour (−6.9 mm Hg) ambulatory systolic blood pressure; (b) green tea alone did not reduce ambulatory blood pressure; and (c) the combination of green tea and resistance exercise did not promote a larger reduction in daytime (−11.8 mm Hg) and 24‐hour (−7.4 mm Hg) ambulatory systolic blood pressure per comparison to dynamic resistance exercise alone.…”

“… 5 Yet, despite the unquestionable benefits of nonpharmacological lifestyle‐oriented interventions, most patients with hypertension will also require drug treatment. 5 In the current issue of the journal, Taati and colleagues 6 explore the topic of lifestyle interventions to lower blood pressure in a group of women with high‐normal/stage 1 hypertension. The authors assessed the effects of a dynamic resistance exercise training program and/or green tea extract on ambulatory and office blood pressure among middle‐aged women (35 and 55 years old).…”

“…Blood pressure (ambulatory and office) was measured at baseline and after the intervention. We commend Taati and colleagues 6 for enrolling only women in their study for a couple of reasons. First, sex differences in the prevalence of hypertension and blood pressure levels are well recognized.…”

“…A strong point in the Taati and colleagues 6 study is the timing of the blood pressure assessment. They performed the blood pressure evaluation 48 hours after the last session of the exercise training program, hence avoiding the confounding effects of post‐exercise hypotension from the last resistance exercise session.…”

“…Their main findings could be summarized as follows: (a) dynamic resistance exercise alone reduced daytime (−12.4 mm Hg) and 24‐hour (−6.9 mm Hg) ambulatory systolic blood pressure; (b) green tea alone did not reduce ambulatory blood pressure; and (c) the combination of green tea and resistance exercise did not promote a larger reduction in daytime (−11.8 mm Hg) and 24‐hour (−7.4 mm Hg) ambulatory systolic blood pressure per comparison to dynamic resistance exercise alone. The study of Taati and colleagues 6 by showing that dynamic resistance exercise decreases both office and ambulatory blood pressure challenges most of the current recommendations for exercise and hypertension and raises a pertinent question: Is dynamic resistance exercise a stand‐alone antihypertensive lifestyle therapy? This study shed some light on this topic, as a simple dynamic resistance exercise intervention induced average reductions in blood pressure superior to the reductions usually achieved with aerobic exercise (~8/5 mm Hg).…”