A long-term, comprehensive exercise program that incorporates a variety of physical activities improved the blood pressure, lipid and glucose metabolism, arterial stiffness, and balance of middle-aged and elderly Japanese

Background: A systematic review was performed to identify the types of physical activities effective as interventions in preventing metabolic syndrome in middle-aged women. Methods: Electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and CINAHL) served as the data sources. Cochrane’s Risk of Bias 2 was applied to assess the risk of bias of the randomized controlled trials. Meta-analyses were performed on selected studies using Review Manager 5.3. Thirty-one trials enrolling 2,202 participants were included. Results: Compared to controls, the effects of physical activity were indicated by pooled mean differences, which were −0.57 kg for body weight, −0.43 kg/m2 for body mass index, −1.63 cm for waist circumference, −4.89 mmHg for systolic blood pressure (BP), and −2.71 mmHg for diastolic BP. The effects were greater on the measurements of waist circumference and BP than on body weight and BMI. The types of physical activities were further analyzed according to sub-groups. Only aerobic exercise did not affect body weight and resistance exercise did not significantly change any results. Contrarily, combined exercises significantly reduced measurements of waist circumference and BP. Conclusion: This review can provide valuable information for research and implementation of measures to prevent metabolic syndrome in middle-aged women.

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Association of blood pressure and long‐term change with chronic kidney disease risk among Chinese adults with different glucose metabolism according to the 2017 ACC/AHA guidelines

Journal of Clinical Hypertension ◽

10.1111/jch.14371 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jia He ◽

Zhaoyang Li ◽

Ruixin Wang ◽

Hongli Nie ◽

Fei Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Chronic Kidney Disease ◽

Glucose Metabolism ◽

Kidney Disease ◽

Disease Risk ◽

Chinese Adults ◽

Term Change ◽

Chronic Kidney Disease Risk

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BLOOD PRESSURE VARIABLES, SMOKING STATUS, SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE AND OBESITY AS PREDICTORS OF INCREASED ARTERIAL STIFFNESS AND EARLY ARTERIAL AGEING IN MIDDLE-AGED STUDY PARTICIPANTS

Journal of Hypertension ◽

10.1097/01.hjh.0000539687.05003.bd ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 36 (Supplement 1) ◽

pp. e244

Author(s):

I. Mozos ◽

A. Lascu ◽

S. Gligor

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Arterial Stiffness ◽

Sedentary Lifestyle ◽

Smoking Status ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Study Participants

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The Effect of Long-Term Aronia melanocarpa Extract Supplementation on Cognitive Performance, Mood, and Vascular Function: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Healthy, Middle-Aged Individuals

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu12082475 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (8) ◽

pp. 2475

Author(s):

Sanne Ahles ◽

Yala R. Stevens ◽

Peter J. Joris ◽

David Vauzour ◽

Jos Adam ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Cognitive Flexibility ◽

Vascular Function ◽

Psychomotor Speed ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

Aronia Melanocarpa

Cognitive decline is associated with lifestyle-related factors such as overweight, blood pressure, and dietary composition. Studies have reported beneficial effects of dietary anthocyanins on cognition in older adults and children. However, the effect of anthocyanin-rich Aronia melanocarpa extract (AME) on cognition is unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effect of long-term supplementation with AME on cognitive performance, mood, and vascular function in healthy, middle-aged, overweight adults. In a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled parallel study, 101 participants either consumed 90 mg AME, 150 mg AME, or placebo for 24 weeks. The grooved pegboard test, number cross-out test, and Stroop test were performed as measures for psychomotor speed, attention, and cognitive flexibility. Mood was evaluated with a visual analogue scale, serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) was determined, and vascular function was assessed by carotid ultrasounds and blood pressure measurements. AME improved psychomotor speed compared to placebo (90 mg AME: change = −3.37; p = 0.009). Furthermore, 150 mg AME decreased brachial diastolic blood pressure compared to 90 mg AME (change = 2.44; p = 0.011), but not compared to placebo. Attention, cognitive flexibility, BDNF, and other vascular parameters were not affected. In conclusion, AME supplementation showed an indication of beneficial effects on cognitive performance and blood pressure in individuals at risk of cognitive decline.

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The Gut Microbiota Is Associated with Vascular Function and Blood Pressure Phenotypes in Overweight and Obese Middle-Aged/Older Adults (P21-024-19)

Current Developments in Nutrition ◽

10.1093/cdn/nzz041.p21-024-19 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sarah Johnson ◽

Nicole Litwin ◽

Hannah Van Ark ◽

Shannon Hartley ◽

Emily Fischer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Arterial Stiffness ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Vascular Function ◽

Vascular Dysfunction ◽

Reactive Hyperemia ◽

Bifidobacterium Longum ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Principal Coordinates ◽

The Relationship

Abstract Objectives The gut microbiota is emerging as an important regulator of cardiovascular health. Indeed, gut dysbiosis is increasingly being linked to the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Aging and obesity are associated with the development of CVD largely due to the development of vascular dysfunction, namely endothelial dysfunction and arterial stiffness. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between the gut microbiota, blood pressure, and vascular function in aging overweight and obese individuals. Methods This cross-sectional study included fifteen overweight and obese (mean body mass index, BMI: 29.5; range: 25.8–37.0) middle-aged/older men and postmenopausal women (mean age: 53; range: 42–64 years). Blood pressure, arterial stiffness (augmentation index, AIx, and aortic pulse wave velocity, aPWV), and endothelial function (reactive hyperemia index, RHI) were assessed. Stool samples were collected for gut microbiota analysis using 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing. Principal coordinates analysis and Pearson's correlations were performed to evaluate the relationship between the gut microbiota and measures of vascular function and blood pressure. Results Global gut microbiota phenotypes clustered most strongly by aPWV (groups separated by median value) as visualized by Non-Metric Dimensional Scaling plot of Bray-Curtis Distances (stress = 0.09; P = 0.07). Several bacterial taxa correlated with vascular parameters. For example, Bifidobacterium longum (r = 0.80, P < 0.001) and Akkermansia muciniphila (r = 0.56, P = 0.047) were positively correlated with RHI. Bifdobacterium bifidum (r = −0.61, P = 0.02) and Oxalobacter formigenes (r = −0.62, P = 0.02) were negatively correlated with systolic blood pressure. Interestingly, there was no significant clustering by BMI groupings (overweight vs. obese) or correlations between BMI and specific taxa. Conclusions These preliminary data suggest that the gut microbiota is linked to vascular dysfunction and increased blood pressure in aging overweight and obese individuals independent of BMI. Further data collection and analysis are currently underway to explore these relationships in a larger human cohort, and to explore underlying mechanisms through transferring of vascular phenotypes in humans to germ-free mice through microbiota transplantation. Funding Sources NIFA, USDA.

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