Gender-specific haemodynamic and metabolic effects of a sequential training programme on overweight-obese hypertensives

Objective. To evaluate the short-term cardiometabolic effect of a sequential physical activity programme on pharmacologically untreated hypertensive overweight women and on age-matched men. Methods. We enrolled 80 overweight patients with newly diagnosed hypertension, not treated with antihypertensive nor antihyperlipidaemic drugs or under stabilized treatment. After 3 months of AHA Step 2 diet, they followed a sequential training programme including 56 days of added 3 metabolic equivalents (METs)/week and 56 days of 6 METs/week. Dietary habits, anthropometric measurements, blood pressure measurement, insulin-resistance profile and plasma lipids were monitored. Results. All experienced a significant decrease in body mass index, waist circumference and blood pressure after both training, but only women experienced an improvement in diastolic blood pressure at the end of the intensive training phase. However, when considering the single pre-specified subgroups, only women experienced a significant increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Older women without metabolic syndrome (MS) and older men with MS experienced a decrease of HDL-C following moderate intensity exercise and an increase after intensive exercise. While all patient subgroups experienced a significant reduction in homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) index only after the intensive exercise phase when compared with the baseline, women differently experienced a significant improvement in HOMA index just after the moderate exercise phase and a further improvement after the intensive one. Conclusions. On the basis of our data, it seems that the metabolic and haemodynamic answer of women to physical activity is particularly effective and different compared with men.