The effect of eight weeks of resistance training on nitric oxide and apelin levels in women with pre-hypertension

Background: High blood pressure is a threat to the health of individuals, especially women. In order to overcome this threat, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of eight weeks of resistance training on blood pressure and Nitric oxide and Apelin levels in women with pre-hypertension. Methods: For this purpose, 24 women with pre-hypertension aged from 30 to 45 years old were randomly divided into two groups of exercise and control. The training group performed three resistance training sessions per week for eight weeks. One day before and 48 hours after the last session of the training, blood sampling was taken from the subjects. The changes of Apelin and Nitric oxide levels were measured by Elisa method. Paired t-test and independent t-test were used for within and between groups comparisons, respectively (p<0.05). Results: The results showed that Apelin and Nitric oxide levels increased significantly (p <0.001) and systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased significantly (p <0.001) in the training group. However, no significant changes were observed in the control group. Conclusion: Performing an eight-week moderate-intensity resistance training program can reduce the levels of blood pressure, apelin, and Nitric oxide in women with pre-hypertension.