Combination of l-arginine supplementation and exercise performance on blood pressure responses in normotensive and hypertensive postmenopausal women: A crossover study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of l -arginine supplementation associated with exercise performance on the blood pressure (BP) regulation in normotensive (NT, n = 16) and hypertensive (HT, n = 7) postmenopausal women using a cross-over methodology. In four different days randomly, resting BP was measured and 9 g of l -arginine were given orally for the volunteers (Ajinomoto, Japan). Forty-five minutes after, the participants performed 30 min of exercise on treadmill at the maximal lactate steady state intensity. Blood venous was collected before the l -arginine supplementation and 45 min after the end of the exercise (ARG-EXE day). During the others three days, the volunteers performed exercise taking placebo pills (EXE day), or only l -arginine without exercise (ARG day), or did not take l -arginine nor performed exercise (CON day). Plasma Nitrite/Nitrate (NOx – Cayman, MI, USA) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP – R&D systems, MN, USA) levels were measured by ELISA method. Women were overweight and non-diabetic. In NT women, systolic BP was 43% and 100% lower in EXE and ARG-EXE, respectively. Diastolic BP was 42% lower only in ARG-EXE comparing with CON day. No difference was found in NOx, but cGMP levels were higher in the ARG-EXE day (190%) comparing with CON day. in HT women, systolic BP was 70% and 40% lower in EXE and ARG-EXE days, respectively which was not accompanied by any changing in NOx or cGMP levels. In NT women, l -arginine plus exercise improve both systolic and diastolic BP that was positively associated with cGMP levels.