Effectiveness of High-Intensity Interval Training and Continuous Moderate-Intensity Training on Blood Pressure in Young Physically Inactive Pre-Hypertensive Adults

The likelihood of a pre-hypertensive young adult to develop hypertension has been steadily increasing over the past few years. Aerobic exercise training (AET) has been found to reduce high blood pressure, however, efficacy of different types of aerobic exercise is yet to be determined among the pre-hypertensive young adults. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and continuous moderate-intensity training (CMT) on blood pressure (BP) in young physically inactive pre-hypertensive adults. 32 adults (age 20.0±1.1) were randomly assigned into 3 groups; HIIT, CMT, and control (CON). HIIT and CMT groups participated in 5 weeks of AET with CON group not participating in any exercise. The HIIT protocol consisted of 1:4 minute work to rest ratio of participants 80%-85% heart rate reserve (HR-reserve) and 40%-60% HR-reserve respectively for 20 minutes, CMT group exercised at 40%-60% of HR-reserve continuously for 20 minutes. In both HIIT and CMT groups, systolic blood pressure (SBP) (3.8±2.8 mmHg, P=0.002 VS 1.6±1.5 mmHg, P=0.011) was significantly reduced. While, significant reductions were noted in the diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (2.9±2.2 mmHg, P=0.002) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) (3.1±1.6mmHg, P<0.0005) only in the HIIT group. No significant difference in SBP (-0.4±3.7 mmHg, P=0.718), DBP (0.4±3.4 mmHg, P=0.714), or MAP (0.1±2.5mmHg, P= 0.892) was observed in the CON group. Both HIIT and CMT decreased the BP in physically inactive pre-hypertensive young adults; however, HIIT yielded more beneficial results in terms of reducing the SPB, DBP, and MAP.