A comparison of the genetic and clinical profile of men that respond and do not respond to the immediate antihypertensive effects of aerobic exercise

Linda S Pescatello¹, Bruce E Blanchard², Gregory J Tsongalis³, Ann A O’Connell⁴, Heather Gordish-Dressman⁵, Carl M Maresh¹, Paul D Thompson⁶

¹Department of Kinesiology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA; ²Department of Pathology; ³Department of Pathology, Dartmouth Medical School and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA; ⁴School of Educational Policy and Leadership, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA; ⁵Research Center for Genetic Medicine, Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA; ⁶Division of Cardiology, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT, USA

Abstract: We compared the genetic and clinical profile of men who lower and do not lower blood pressure (BP) after acute aerobic exercise. Volunteers were 45 men (Mean ± SEM, 43.5 ± 1.5 yr) with high BP (145.7 ± 1.5/85.7 ± 1.1 mmHg). They completed three experiments: nonexercise control and two cycle exercise sessions at 40% and 60% peak oxygen consumption, and were then instrumented to an ambulatory BP monitor. Logistic regression determined the genetic and clinical profile of men who lowered BP after exercise (responders [ExR n = 36]); and those who did not (nonresponders [ExNR n = 9]). ExR had higher C-reactive protein (CRP), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the metabolic syndrome, family history of hypertension, more renin-angiotensin system (RAS) common alleles, and α-adducin Trp⁴⁶⁰ and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (ENOS) C⁷⁸⁶ risk alleles. ExNR had lower CRP and HDL, did not have the metabolic syndrome and a family history of hypertension, had more RAS risk alleles, and had the α-adducin Gly460Gly and ENOS T786T genotypes. This model had a sensitivity of 97.1%, specificity of 75.0%, and accounted for 46.3%–74.4% of the BP response. These results suggest genetic and clinical information may eventually be used to characterize people who do and do not respond to exercise as antihypertensive therapy.

Keywords: blood pressure, genetics, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, physical activity