This is a clinical trial to determine whether 30 sessions of heat therapy in the form of hot water immersion is better than 30 sessions of traditional aerobic exercise training on blood pressure reduction in people with elevated or Stage 1 hypertension.
Hypertension accounts for more cardiovascular disease related deaths than any other modifiable risk factor. While exercise training can be effective at reducing blood pressure in some individuals, many people do not respond to exercise training, and many more are unwilling to undergo regular exercise training. Alternative options need to be explored. This is a clinical trial to determine whether 30 sessions of heat therapy in the form of hot water immersion is better than 30 sessions of traditional aerobic exercise training on blood pressure reduction in people with elevated blood pressure (hypertension). The investigators will evaluate known biomarkers of cardiovascular health. It is hypothesized that heat therapy will be superior to exercise training on blood pressure reduction.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
44
30 sessions of immersion in 40.5 degree celsius water for 45 minutes per session
30 sessions of aerobic exercise training for 45 minutes at 60% of VO2peak
University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon, United States
Blood Pressure Reduction: Change in Systolic and Diastolic Ambulatory Blood Pressure (mmHg) After 30 Sessions of Intervention
Ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) was measured at baseline (PRE) and after 30 heat therapy or exercise training sessions (POST) over the course of 8-10 weeks. Two individuals performed post-intervention testing after completing only 27 sessions (1 in each group). Participants arrived at the lab and were fitted with an oscillometric blood pressure cuff attached to an ambulatory blood pressure monitor. The monitor was programmed to inflate and assess blood pressure every 20 min during self-reported waking hours and every 60 min during self-reported sleeping hours. Waking and sleeping times and measurement frequency were replicated at POST within each participant. Ambulatory blood pressure data were analyzed as 24-h total for both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Change was calculated as the value at the POST timepoint minus the value at the PRE timepoint.
Time frame: 10 weeks
Arterial Stiffness: Change in Carotid-femoral Pulse Wave Velocity (m/s) From Pre (Baseline) to Post (After 30 Sessions of Intervention)
Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (m/s) was measured as a marker of arterial stiffness using a pressure transducing tonometer over the carotid artery and an inflated leg cuff to detect the femoral artery pulse waveform using air displacement at baseline (PRE) and after 30 heat therapy or exercise training sessions (POST) over the course of 8-10 weeks. Two individuals performed post-intervention testing after completing only 27 sessions (1 in each group). Change was calculated as the value at the POST timepoint minus the value at the PRE timepoint.
Time frame: 10 weeks
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