RESUMO
Introduction: Adipose tissue secretes many adipokines, including chemerin, visfatin, and apelin. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of 12 weeks of aerobic exercise on plasma levels of apelin and blood pressure in hypertensive middle-aged women
Materials and Methods: In this study, 30 elderly hypertensive women were selected and randomly divided into two groups, the control and experimental. The training program included aerobic exercises conducted, 3 times a week, for 12 weeks. Blood samples and blood pressure measurements of participants were obtained both before starting the exercise training and again 24 hours after the last training session. Data was evaluated by using the dependent and independent t-test for comparisons within groups and between groups, with significance level set at p_0.05
Results: After 12 weeks of aerobic exercise, decline in serum levels of Apelin [p=0.03], and systolic blood pressure [p=0.001] were observed in the experimental group, whereas no significant difference in diastolic blood pressure [p=0.12] was seen. In the control group however no significant changes in serum levels of apelin [p=0.50], systolic blood pressure [p=0.20] and diastolic blood pressure [p=0.40] occurred
Conclusion: The results showed that 12 weeks of aerobic exercise, caused a decreasing trend in levels of plasma apelin and systolic blood pressure, thereby lowering blood pressure of patients hypertensive