Nonpharmacological strategies against hypertension: Effect of resistance training and acclimation on cardioprotection
Original article - e245621 - Published 2025, Jun 6
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33233/rbfex.v24i1.5621Keywords:
hypertension, resistance training, heat acclimation, cardioprotection, healthAbstract
Introduction: Hypertension (HT) is the main risk factor for myocardial infarction. Together, these events are the main causes of death worldwide. The conventional treatment is pharmacological. Non-pharmacological strategies, such as resistance training (RT) and heat acclimation (HA), may affect reducing cardiovascular risk. Objective: The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of RT and HA on ventricular function, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and cardioprotection of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Methods: The experimental procedures were authorized under registration number 14/2022 (CEUA/ICBS/UFRRJ). SHR were divided into a control group (CTR, n = 7), a group trained 3x/week/10 weeks (TG, n = 8), and a group acclimated in a heated bath for 11 consecutive days (HWI, n = 9). SBP was assessed by tail plethysmography. Left ventricular function (LVF) was evaluated by the isolated heart method. Cardioprotection assessment was based on LVF in the 60 min after global ischemia (IQ = 30 min) and on the analysis of the infarct area. Results: After the trials, only CTR showed higher SBP (p < 0.01). Left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP) was better during reperfusion in the HWI groups compared to CTR (p < 0.05) and TG (p < 0.05). The infarct area after IQ was smaller only in HWI (p < 0.05). Conclusion: TG and HWI demonstrated an effect on maintaining and reducing SBP in the experimental groups, but only HWI was effective in promoting cardioprotection.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Jéssica da Silva Santos, Ronaldo André Castelo dos Santos de Almeida, Letícia de Sousa Amorim, Emerson Lopes Olivares, Anderson Luiz Bezerra da Silveira

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