Background: Exercise is advocated for the prevention, treatment and control of hypertension. However, the treatment effect of exercise on hypertension is difficult to determine as many studies are poorly controlled and involve small sample sizes.
Objective: This article reviews current knowledge about exercise and blood pressure (BP), and provides a guideline for exercise prescription that considers the health status and age of the patient.
Discussion: An evidence based literature analysis by the American College of Sports Medicine indicates that an isolated exercise session (acute effect) lowers BP an average of 5-7 mmHg. Depending upon the degree the patient's BP has been normalised by drug therapy, regular aerobic exercise significantly reduces BP the equivalent of 1 class of antihypertensive medication (chronic effect). For most hypertensive patients exercise is quite safe. Caution is required for those over 50 years of age, and those with established cardiovascular disease (CVD) (or at high CVD risk) and in these patients, the advice of a clinical exercise physiologist is recommended.