Physical Exercise for Individuals with Hypertension: It Is Time to Emphasize its Benefits on the Brain and Cognition

Abstract

Hypertension affects more than 40% of adults worldwide and is associated with stroke, myocardial infarction, heart failure, and other cardiovascular diseases. It has also been shown to cause severe functional and structural damage to the brain, leading to cognitive impairment and dementia. Furthermore, it is believed that these cognitive impairments affect the mental ability to maintain productivity at work, ultimately causing social and economic problems. Because hypertension is a chronic condition that requires clinical treatment, strategies with fewer side effects and less-invasive procedures are needed. Physical exercise (PE) has proven to be an efficient and complementary tool for hypertension management, and its peripheral benefits have been widely supported by related studies. However, few studies have specifically examined the potential positive effects of PE on the brain in hypertensive individuals. This narrative review discusses the pathophysiological mechanisms that hypertension promotes in the brain, and suggests PE as an important tool to prevent and reduce cognitive damage caused by hypertension. We also provide PE recommendations for hypertensive individuals, as well as suggestions for promoting PE as a method for increasing cognitive abilities in the brain, particularly for hypertensive individuals.

Physical Activity and Brain Health

“…In particular, it can represent a non-pharmacological (and sometimes enjoyable) strategy to delay the effects of both physiological ageing and pathological neurodegeneration on brain health. However, although exercise prescriptions (including frequency, intensity, type, and time) were given, for example, for individuals with hypertension ([20], Table 1 in [23]), we cannot yet refer to specific exercise prescriptions for maximizing the positive effects of PA on cognition [23]; the protocols used in the experiments reported in this review, as well as the subjects and the markers studied (Table 1 and Table 2) are indeed quite different, many informative studies relied on rodents, and not yet on humans. Further studies are thus necessary to evaluate more precisely how the factors which influence brain functioning change in response to the type, intensity, and timing of exercise.…”

“…Habitual exercise improves cardiorespiratory fitness and cardiovascular health [20,21,22,23,24], helps reducing body mass index [25,26], and can represent a natural, anti-inflammatory “drug” in chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) [27,28]. Moreover, given the strong association of pathologic conditions such as high blood pressure with blood–brain barrier alterations and brain dysfunctions, PA can also have beneficial effects on cerebrovascular and cognitive functions [23]. In addition, anti-depressive- [29], and analgesic-PA effects have been reported [30].…”

A Physical Activity Recommender System for Patients With Arterial Hypertension

“…The practice of regular physical activity, in addition to reducing cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, can also be beneficial for the prevention and treatment of hypertension [34]. Furthermore, a non-sedentary lifestyle provides a lower risk of developing hypertension [35], and many studies affirm the daily practice of physical exercise reduces blood pressure levels [36]- [39]. Hence, the practice of physical activity should be encouraged to anyone [40].…”

Hypertension: Protective Effects of Physical Exercise on Cognition Function, Arterial Function and Brain Health

“…Also, PE is associated with increased length, complexity, and density of some types of neuron dendrites [82], and greater integrity of the Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) [83]. Taking together, it is suggested that PE promotes several molecular and structural adaptations that can improve cognitive functioning [84,85].…”