Waist Circumference as a Potential Predictor of Post-Exercise Hypotension Response in College-Aged Subjects: A Pilot Study

Roughly 25% of people who exercise to lower blood pressure (BP) do not see a BP reduction following exercise training. Post-exercise hypotension (PEH) has been shown to predict training exercise responses. Past data is inconclusive as to whether or not BMI influences PEH. PURPOSE: This pilot study will determine whether anthropometric and body composition variables differ between PEH responders and non-responders in college-aged subjects. METHODS: Men and women aged 18-30 yr. completed an initial 30-minute moderate-intensity cycling exercise session. Subjects were classified as "responders" if their systolic or diastolic BP decreased following exercise, as measured by the average 12 post-exercise BP measurements over one hour. PEH value two times the TE in the negative direction will be considered “responders”. An Independent t-test was used to determine group differences. RESULTS: Six responders (2 males) and five non-responders (3 males) have completed this study. There were no group differences for BMI (24.7 ± 3.0 kg/m2 vs. 29.6 ± 4.9 kg/m2, p = .070), body fat (16.5 ± 10.4 % vs. 28.9 ± 12.3 %, p=.142), VO2peak (37.8 ± 12.1 ml.kg-1.min-1 vs. 29.1 ± 2.1 ml.kg-1.min-1, p= .147), resting SBP (126 ± 117 mmHg vs. 123 ± 6 mmHg), or resting DBP (66 ± 9 mmHg vs. 71 ± 5 mmHg, p = .321). Non-responders did have a significantly larger waist circumference (79.1 ± 5.1 cm vs. 94.5 ± 12 cm, p = .018). CONCLUSION: This preliminary data suggests that waist circumference may be a key factor when determining the efficacy of exercise interventions to lower BP.