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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Cardiovasc. Med.
Sec. Hypertension
Volume 12 - 2025 |
doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2025.1504632
This article is part of the Research Topic Exploring the Role of Exercise in Hypertension and Blood Pressure Variability View all 3 articles
Effects of exercise on pulse wave velocity in hypertensive and prehypertensive patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Provisionally accepted
Haoyu Xi 1,2 Liwen Du 2
Gen Li 3 Shiyan Zhang 4 Xiang Li 2
Yuanyuan Lv 1,5
Lin Feng 4,6*
Laikang Yu 1,2*- 1 Beijing Key Laboratory of Sports Performance and Skill Assessment, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China
- 2 Department of Strength and Conditioning Assessment and Monitoring, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China
- 3 School of Physical Education and Sports Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
- 4 School of Sport Sciences, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China, Beijing, China
- 5 China Institute of Sport and Health Science, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China
- 6 Beijing Sports Nutrition Engineering Research Center, Beijing, China
Background: This study aimed to examine the effects of exercise on pulse wave velocity (PWV) in hypertensive and prehypertensive patients. Methods: A comprehensive search was performed in PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science, covering data up to August 31, 2023. A meta-analysis was conducted to determine the weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence interval for the effects of exercise on PWV in hypertensive and prehypertensive patients. Results: A total of 17 studies met the inclusion criteria. Exercise had a significant effect on improving PWV in hypertensive and prehypertensive patients (WMD, -0.93, P = 0.0001). Subgroup analysis showed that aerobic exercise (WMD, -1.29, P = 0.0004) significantly improved PWV in hypertensive and prehypertensive patients. Moreover, aerobic exercise, specifically moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (WMD, -1.69, P =0.03), conducted for ≥ 12 weeks (WMD, -1.54, P = 0.002), ≥ 3 times per week (WMD, -1.44, P = 0.002), ≤ 60 min per session (WMD, -1.50, P = 0.02), and ≥ 180 min per week (WMD, -0.57, P = 0.005), was more effective in improving PWV in hypertensive and prehypertensive patients, especially in middle-aged individuals (WMD, -1.78, P < 0.0001). Conclusion: To improve arterial stiffness, hypertensive and prehypertensive patients, particularly middle-aged individuals, are recommended to participate in a minimum of 12 weeks of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise at least 3 times per week for less than 60 min per session, with a goal of 180 min per week being achieved by increasing the frequency of exercise.
Keywords: Exercise, pulse wave velocity, arterial stiffness, Hypertension, Prehypertension, Systematic review, Meta-analysis
Received: 02 Oct 2024; Accepted: 05 Feb 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Xi, Du, Li, Zhang, Li, Lv, Feng and Yu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Lin Feng, School of Sport Sciences, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China, Beijing, China
Laikang Yu, Beijing Key Laboratory of Sports Performance and Skill Assessment, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China
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