Prophylactic effect of aerobic fitness on cardiovascular arousal among individuals with a family history of hypertension

Abstract

Among normotensive individuals, a family history of essential hypertension is generally associated with elevated levels of cardiovascular arousal during stress. In contrast, aerobic fitness is associated with lowered levels of cardiovascular arousal during stress. It was therefore hypothesized that during psychosocial stress, subjects with a family history of hypertension who were aerobically fit would respond like subjects who did not have a family history of hypertension, and that both of those groups would show less arousal than subjects with a family history of hypertension who were not aerobically fit. The predicted patterning of responses was found with heart rate, diastolic blood pressure and systolic blood pressure. The results are discussed in terms of the prophylactic effects of fitness for individuals with a family history of hypertension.