ACE GENE PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN REDUCING BLOOD PRESSURE IN THE HYPERINTENSIVE ELDERLY AFTER RESISTANCE TRAINING

Hypertension is a difficult disease to control and exercise training plays a key role in hypertension control. Some individuals are not responsive to exercise training; so, we highlight the polymorphism of I allele of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) as a factor responsible for this lack of responsiveness. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of ACE insertion/deletion genotypes on effects of resistance training on blood pressure (BP) and chronic inflammation. Eighty-six hypertensive volunteers, aged between 60 and 80, were evaluated. They performed 16 weeks of resistance training at 50% of 1 maximal repetition. The greatest benefits were seen on homozygous of the Insertion allele, whom presented reduction of systolic blood pressure (SBP: 129.31 +/- 13.34 vs. 122.56 +/- 9.68 mm Hg, p < 0.001) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP: 79.18 +/- 8.05 vs. 70.12 +/- 7.71 mm Hg, p < 0.01) during daytime period, and in 24-hour period (SBP: 127.12 +/- 13.65 vs. 121.06 +/- 9.68 mm Hg, p < 0.001 and DBP: 71.87 +/- 8.39 vs. 68.75 +/- 8.72 mm Hg, p < 0.05) and also increased circulating adiponectin levels (4.04 +/- 1.79 vs. 6.00 +/- 2.81 ng.ml(-1), p < 0.01). Other genotypes showed no changes in BP and biochemical parameters. Our results suggest a cardio protective factor of I allele because only those homozygous showed reductions in BP and increases in adiponectin.