Comparing the Changes in Cardiovascular Function After Acute Exposure to Tai Chi or Walking

Abstract

Hypertension is a major health concern throughout the United States and is a major cause of cardiovascular disease and recent research has indicated that central aortic pressures more accurately depict of pressure within the myocardium compared to commonly used brachial measures. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare the responses of Tai Chi and walking on measures of central and peripheral cardiac measurements when controlling for exercise intensity. METHODS: 15 pre-hypertensive subjects (2 males, 13 females; age = 20.7±3.77 years; body fat percentage = 24.26±10.27%) participated in Tai Chi (TC) and walking (WK) for 30 minutes on non-consecutive days. Central systolic (CSBP) and diastolic blood pressure (CDBP), augmentation index (Alx), pulse pressure (PP), heart rate (HR), and brachial systolic (BSBP) and diastolic blood pressure (BDBP) were measured prior to exercise and following exercise every 10 minutes for a total of 60 minutes in a seated position. A repeated measures ANOVA with two repeated measure factors was computed for each outcome measure. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the two exercise forms. However, CSBP decreased 10 minutes after exercise in both exercise types (TC = 6.63±3.258 mmHG, p < .05; WK = 7±4.144 mmHG p < .05), and 40 minutes after exercise in both exercise types (TC = 6.07±3.33 mmHG, p < .05; WK = 8.2±3.15 mmHG, p < .05) compared to the before exercise measurement. BSBP also decreased in both exercise forms following 10 min of rest (TC=6.99±3.776 mmHG, p = .05; WK=8.8±3.20 mmHG p = .05), and 40 min (TC=8.46±3.07 mmHG, p = .05; WK=8.87±3.87 mmHG, p = .05) when compared to the initial resting measurement. A trend indicated that heart rate was lower during the Tai Chi rest periods when compared to walking during the 30th minute (TC= 73.73±12.31 bpm, WK = 78.40±15.82 bpm, p = .051) and the 60th minute of rest (TC= 73.0±13.95 bpm, WK= 76.0±13.85 bpm p = .06). There were no significant changes in Alx, PP, or diastolic pressures. CONCLUSIONS: Central aortic pressure exhibits a post exercise hypotensive (PEH) effect similar to that of peripheral blood pressure. Both Tai Chi and walking elicited similar PEH effects on systolic blood pressure in prehypertensive individuals.