Responses of Endothelin-1 and Arterial Blood Pressure of Postmenopausal Women to Aerobic Exercise Training

Objectives:&nbsp;Endothelin-1 is a strong constrictor of blood vessels that is secreted by endothelial cells and identified as the strongest vascular constrictor. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of eight week aerobic exercise on the endothelin-1 concentration of plasma and its relationship with blood pressure in elderly postmenopausal women. Methods & Materials: A total of 20 menopausal women (with the average age of 67.85&plusmn;5.67 years , height 153.50&plusmn;7.7 cm, weight 66.16&plusmn;11.96 kg, BMI of 28.15&plusmn;4.98, fat percentage of 18.41&plusmn;3.65, and WHR of 0.92&plusmn;0.04) were selected and randomly assigned into two groups of ten each. The experimental group underwent eight weeks of aerobic training spanning across three sessions in a week with the intensity of 60 to 70% of maximum heart rate. The resting level of endothelin-1 concentration along with the systolic and diastolic blood pressure for each participant were measured and recorded before and after eight weeks of exercise .Paired t-test was used for investigating the changes within the group while the independent t-test was used for investigating the differences between the groups. Pearson correlation coefficient was used for investigating the relationship between endothelin-1 and blood pressure. A significance level less than 0.05 were considered to be significant. Results:&nbsp;The result of this study showed that one duration of aerobic exercise had a significant effect on endothelin-1 plasma density (P<0.01) and decreasing systolic (P<0.01) as well as diastolic(P=0.002) blood pressure in older women. A direct correlation was established between endothelin-1 and systolic blood pressure (P=0.59). Nevertheless, no correlation was noted between endothelin-1 and diastolic blood pressure (r=0.39). Conclusion: It was concluded that single duration of aerobic exercise with the agreed intensity and volume could decrease the systolic and diastolic blood pressure and the endothelin-1 concentration of plasma

The Effect of a Resistance Training Course on Blood Pressure and Nitric Oxide Levels in Elderly Women

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&rsquo;s plasma nitric oxide levels and blood pressure. Twenty-four postmenopausal women (age: 67.37&plusmn;6.02, BMI=26.87&plusmn;4.16, and WHR=0.92&plusmn;0.4 mean&plusmn;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&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; 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

The Effect of Concurrent Aerobic and Anaerobic Exercise on Stress, Anxiety, Depressive Symptoms, and Blood Pressure in Renal Transplant Female Patients: A Randomized Control Trial

Background: Prevalence of stress, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and high blood pressure are known to be important issues among renal transplant patients. Objective: The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of selected exercises on blood pressure, stress, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and blood pressure among renal transplant patients. Method: Thirty two women patients (aged, 20-50 years) with 2 to 3 years post renal transplantation history were voluntarily and objectively recruited. Participants were randomly divided into two groups, exercise (n=16) and control (n=16). The exercise group performed 10 weeks of exercise 3 days per week, and for 60-90 minutes per session. The control group involved no exercise. The DASS21 questionnaire was used to collect psychological data, and blood pressure was measured before and after 10 weeks of exercise. Data analysis was conducted using dependent and independent t-tests. Results: Concurrent exercise significantly reduced anxiety, stress, depressive symptoms, and systolic blood pressure in the exercise group only (p=0.000). Conclusion: Ten weeks of low-intensity exercise can be an effective measure to improve the stress, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and blood pressure in renal transplant patients. Our results suggest that a regular pattern of selected exercises can be effective on stress, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and blood pressure and may be beneficial for renal transplant patients. Keywords: Selected exercise, Stress, Anxiety, Depressive symptoms, Renal transplan