Blood pressure and ECG variables of healthy young males and females participating in moderate aerobic exercise

Introduction

Changes in blood pressure and electrocardiogram are important factors that determine exercise testing. This study investigated blood pressure and electrocardiogram (ECG) changes in healthy young adults after performing acute moderate aerobic exercise protocols.

Methods

Forty young healthy untrained non-athletes, twenty males and twenty females (age, 25 ± 5.6 years; body weight, 65 ± 4.0 kg; body height, 176.9 ± 2.5 cm) were recruited for the study. The exercise regimen was acute moderate exercise for 20 min on a treadmill consistently for 14 days daily at the speed of 13 km/h. The body weight, blood pressure, and electrocardiograph were measured before and after exercise.

Results

There was a significant reduction (P < 0.05) in body weight (59 ± 3.2 kg) of female participants after 14 days of aerobic exercise relative to their baseline mean value (63 ± 2.9 kg). The systolic blood pressure decreased (P < 0.05) in males (117 ± 1.1 mmHg) and females (117 ± 1.0 mmHg) when compared to the mean baseline values in males (127 ± 1.3 mmHg) and females (128 ±0 .3 mmHg). The diastolic blood pressure also decreased (P < 0.05) in male (71 ± 0.88 mmHg) participants after exercise when compared to the baseline mean values (79 ± 1.2 mmHg) while there was no change in diastolic blood pressure of females. The ECG parameters remained unchanged, while the heart rate (75 ± 1.3 beats/min) increased (P < 0.05) after exercise in all participants relative to the baseline (69 ± 2 beats/min).

Conclusion

The results suggest that moderate aerobic exercise normalized blood pressure and electrical activity of the heart while reducing heart rate after 14 days of consistent aerobic exercise in healthy individuals.