Abstract
Background:
Studies have shown that chronic administration of green tea decreases blood pressure (BP) at rest, while a single exercise session also promotes reduction of BP.
Objective:
To investigate whether if a single dose of green tea prior to aerobic exercise session improves post-exercise hypotension (PEH).
Methods:
Randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study. Fifteen hypertensive patients (53 ± 3.3 years) participated in two study sessions: green tea+exercise (GTE) and placebo+exercise (PLE). Thirty minutes after ingesting 2 g of green tea or placebo, they performed 60 minutes of treadmill walking at 60 to 85% of maximum heart rate. BP was measured at rest and at every 10 minutes after exercise for 60 minutes. Blood samples were taken before ingestion of green tea or placebo and immediately after exercise to determine malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitrite (NO) concentrations.
Results:
On PLE day, systolic PEH was detected at all post-exercise time points (BP reduction by 6.5-11.8 mmHg), whereas on GTE day, PEH was found only at 20 and 40 minutes post-exercise (BP reduction by 5.9 and 5.8 mmHg, respectively). BP reduction was significantly higher in PLE at 10, 20 and 30 minutes post-exercise compared with GTE. In addition, GTE resulted in hypertensive diastolic response, while on PLE day, diastolic PEH was seen only at 20 minutes post-exercise. No changes in MDA or NO concentrations in response to exercise were observed.
Conclusion:
Green tea supplementation prior to an aerobic exercise session attenuated systolic PEH and induced diastolic hypertensive response to aerobic exercise in hypertensive patients.
Keywords:
Camellia sinensis / drug effects; Hypotension; Exercise; Oxidative Stress; Antioxidants
