Postmeal walking reduces nighttime central SBP, raises nocturnal SBP dipping in women

Walking after a meal appears to have a highest impact on nighttime systolic blood pressure (SBP) and nocturnal dipping of SBP in healthy, physically inactive young women, suggest a study.

Postmeal walking (PMW) also results in a similar hypotensive response that occurs after a meal.

Fourteen physically inactive, nonhypertensive women (mean age 20 years, body fat 28.1 percent) completed the study during the early follicular or placebo phase of their contraceptive cycle. They also completed a control day (CON; no exercise/excess physical activity) and a PMW day (three bouts for 15 min of brisk walking).

Finally, the researchers collected ambulatory brachial and central BP (24 h, daytime, nocturnal, postexercise BP, nocturnal dipping) and accelerometer data.

PMW resulted in reductions in 24-h central augmentation pressure (PWM: 9 mm Hg; CON: 10 mm Hg; p=0.049) and central pulse pressure (PMW: 31 mm Hg; CON: 33 mm Hg; p=0.02), as well as in nighttime central augmentation pressure (PMW: 10 mm Hg; CON: 13 mm Hg; p<0.001) and central pulse pressure (PMW: 35 mm Hg; CON: 32 mm Hg; p=0.001).

Postexercise hypotension also occurred following PMW (effect of time: p<0.001). However, there was no effect of condition (p>0.05 vs CON) since the CON postprandial state also led to a hypotensive effect.

Furthermore, PMW increased heart rate (main effect of condition: p=0.01), as well as brachial SBP nocturnal dipping (PMW: 17.5 percent; CON: 14.4 percent; p<0.01) and central SBP nocturnal dipping (PMW: 6.8 percent; CON: 12.2 percent; p<0.01).

On the other hand, no significant difference was observed in brachial (PMW: 23.7 percent; CON: 22.3 percent; p=0.50) and central diastolic BP nocturnal dipping (PMW: 25 percent; CON: 21.9 percent; p=0.13) between the two conditions.