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Limited evidence suggests renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) polymorphisms alter the blood pressure (BP) response to aerobic exercise training. We examined if RAAS polymorphisms influenced postexercise hypotension in men with high normal to Stage 1 hypertension. Forty-seven men (44.2+/-1.4 years, 145.1+/-1.6/85.5+/-1.1 mmHg) randomly completed three experiments: seated rest (control) and two cycle exercise bouts at 40% (LITE) and 60% (MOD) of maximal oxygen consumption. Ambulating BP was measured for 14 h after each experiment. RAAS polymorphisms associated with hypertension (i.e. angiotensin converting I enzyme, ACE I/D; angiotensin II type 1 receptor, AT1R A/C; and intron 2 of aldosterone synthase, Int2 W/C) were analyzed using polymerase chain reaction and restriction enzyme digestion. Repeated measure ANOVA tested if BP differed between experimental conditions by RAAS genotypes. Compared to men with 0-2 variant alleles, men with > or =3 combined RAAS variant alleles had lower average systolic BP (SBP) (P=0.030) and lower average diastolic BP (DBP) (P=0.009) for 14 h only after LITE. In contrast, average BP was not different for MOD and control between RAAS variant allele groups over this time period (P> or =0.05). LITE reduced BP in men with > or =3 variant RAAS alleles for 14 h, whereas MOD had no influence on BP in these men. In order to optimally prescribe exercise for its BP lowering benefits in those with hypertension, additional knowledge of how genetic variation affects the BP response to exercise is needed.

Objective: Blood pressure (BP) is immediately lowered after a session of dynamic exercise, e.g. postexercise hypotension (PEH). The optimal exercise intensity needed to evoke PEH has not been established. We examined the effect of light (LITE) and moderate (MOD) exercise intensity on PEH., Design: Subjects were 49 men (mean +/- SEM, 43.8 +/- 1.4 years) with high normal to stage 1 hypertension (145.0 +/- 1.5/85.8 +/- 1.1 mmHg). Men randomly completed three blinded experiments: a control session and two cycle exercise bouts, one at 40% (LITE) and the other at 60% (MOD) of maximal oxygen consumption., Methods: Experiments began with a baseline period and were conducted at the same time of day and separated by >/= 2 days. Subjects wore an ambulatory BP monitor after the experiments. Repeated measure analysis of variance (ANOVA) tested if BP and heart rate differed over time and between experimental conditions. Multivariate regression tested factors related to the BP response., Results: For 9 h after all experiments, average awake systolic blood pressure (SBP) increased and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) decreased compared with baseline (P < 0.001). Average awake SBP increased up to 6.9 mmHg less (P < 0.001) and DBP decreased 2.6 mmHg more (P < 0.05) after exercise versus control. For 5 h, PEH was greater after MOD; but over the course of 9 h, LITE was as effective as MOD in eliciting PEH. Baseline BP was the primary factor explaining the BP response (beta = -0.434 to -0.718, r = 0.096-0.295)., Conclusions: LITE and MOD evoked PEH throughout the daytime hours. Lower intensity dynamic exercise such as walking, contributes to BP control in men with hypertension.

This study sought to assess the safety of cardiopulmonary stress testing in 40 children with pulmonary arterial hypertension and to compare exercise responses in this patient cohort with those of a healthy control population. Patients with pulmonary hypertension had significant impairment in aerobic capacity, with a peak oxygen consumption of 20.7 ± 6.9 versus 35.5 ± 7.4 ml/kg/min in healthy controls (p &#60;0.0001). Peak oxygen consumption was strongly correlated with invasive measures of disease severity, including pulmonary vascular resistance index (r = −0.6, p = 0.006). Exercise testing can be performed safely in this group of patients and can yield valuable clinical information. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]