Postexercise Hemodynamic Responses in Lean and Obese Men

We assessed resting central/peripheral blood pressure (BP), postexercise BP, and hemodynamic responses (stroke volume, cardiac output, and systemic vascular resistance) after acute exercise and 2 wk of aerobic training in lean and centrally obese men matched for BP.

Eight lean (body mass index < 25 kg·m, visceral fat = 279 ± 224 cm) and eight centrally obese (body mass index > 30 kg·m, visceral fat = 1471 ± 374 cm) men performed six training sessions (3 d·wk for 40 min at 65%-70% HRmax). Resting BP and hemodynamic measurements were obtained at baseline, after exercise for 60 min, and at 24 h and 48 h after the last training session.

Postexercise brachial and central systolic BP (SBP) and mean arterial BP decreased 3-4 mm Hg below resting in lean (P < 0.001) and increased by 3 mm Hg in obese (P < 0.02). Posttraining resting brachial/central SBP were reduced by 3-4 mm Hg only in lean men (P < 0.05). Pretraining postexercise hypotension was significantly correlated with the training-induced change in resting brachial SBP at 48 h (r = 0.58, P = 0.02), but not at 24 h (r = 0.38, P = 0.15). Similar correlations were observed between acute reductions in central SBP and central SBP at 24 h (r = 0.43, P = 0.09) and 48 h (r = 0.54, P = 0.03) posttraining.

In contrast to the consistent results for lean men, postexercise hypotension was not observed in centrally obese men, and resting SBP was not reduced after a short aerobic training program. Considerable individual variation in postexercise BP response among obese men may have implications for design of exercise interventions to lower BP in these individuals.