Effects of resistance training on resting blood pressure in hypertensive population: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials

Background:
The number of people with arterial hypertension is rising every year. Regular resistance training (RT) plays a significant role in blood pressure (BP) management because it can improve hypertension-related factors. Previous reviews relating to the effectiveness of exercise for hypertension showed positive results in the normalization of BP. However, they had a wide range of populations and mixed exercise interventions.

Aims:
The purpose of this paper was to systematically review the current literature examining the effects of RT on resting BP in people with hypertension compared to the control group (CG).

Material and methods:
The systematic review was carried out following the PRISMA statement between November and December 2022. After searching PubMed, Cochrane Library, and PEDro databases, reviewing potential studies in detail, and checking whether they met the eligibility criteria, nine studies were used in the review. The PEDro scale was used to establish the quality of included studies. Mean difference and Effect Size dppc2 were chosen to estimate the magnitude of RT effects.

Results:
Regarding systolic blood pressure (SBP), eight studies showed positive results in RT favor, and 1 showed positive results in CG favor. The average value for the mean difference was 10 mmHg.Regarding diastolic blood pressure (DBP), seven Studies showed positive results in RT favor, 1 showed positive results in CG favor, and 1 showed no difference. The average value for the mean difference was 4.6 mmHg.

Conclusions:
This work showed that RT has a good chance of improving resting BP values in the hypertensive population. However, more good quality studies supported by statistical analysis are needed to draw firm inferences. Due to the limitations of this review, no firm conclusions cannot be drawn.