Effects of Resistance Training on Resting Blood Pressure: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trails

Abstract

Objective:To examine the effects of resistance training(RT) on resting blood pressure(BP) by conducting a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trial(RCT) studies(1966—2009).Method:Six databases,including MEDLINE,Sportdiscuss,EBSCOhost,Embase,Dissertation Abstracts International database,and CNKI(China National Knowledge Infrastructure) were searched and studies were selected according criterions.A standard protocol was used to extract information and each trail was weighted by the inverse of its total variance for BP change.The random-effects model was used for the meta-analysis.Meta-regression,publication bias and sensitivity analysis were also conducted.Results:A total of 24 RCT were identified,including 31 training groups and 1,003 participants.When all the studies were pooled,the random-effects modeling yielded an average decrease of 3.35 for systolic BP(95% CI=-6.48～-0.22;P=0.0358) and 2.65 for diastolic BP(95% CI=-4.53～-0.77;P=0.0057).No statistically significant results were found in meta-regression,publication bias and sensitivity analysis.Conclusion:Resistance training is effective on reducing systolic and diastolic blood pressure in adults and old adults.However,the key factors that led to the changes should be further investigated.