Hypertension and Exercise PER BJORNTORP, M.D.

SUMMARY In such a prevalent disease as hypertension, it is particularly important to examine preventive and therapeutic alternatives as changes in life-style. Repeated physical exercise (physical training) has been shown to cause blood pressure to fall in normotensives and mild hypertensives, whether obese or not. This is followed by other hemodynamic changes characteristic of reduced sympathetic nervous system activity, which can also be found in metabolic and endocrine variables. In addition, there is evidence for an increased adrenergic sensitivity after physical training in circula-tory, endocrine, and metabolic variables. In lipolysis regulation, the exact adaptation is located at the GTP-binding protein level between the adrenergic receptor and the cyclase. It is indicative that physical training causes an adaptation in the central sympathetic nervous system and, secondarily, an increased sensitivity of the periphery. This might possibly explain the decreased blood pressure caused by physical training, particularly in mild hypertension where symptoms of increased sympathetic nervous system activity have been observed. (Hypertension 4 (supp HI): 111-56—111-59, 1982) KEY WORDS • hypertension sympathetic nervous system • • peripheral resistance • obesit