Difference in Acute Responses of Vascular Function to Moderate-intensity and High-intensity Interval Training in Healthy and Prehypertensive Individuals

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF LJUBLJANA · Jun 30, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is looking at how different types of exercise affect blood vessel health in adults who are either healthy or have prehypertension, which means their blood pressure is higher than normal but not yet in the high blood pressure range. The study compares moderate-intensity continuous exercise (like steady jogging) with high-intensity interval exercise (short bursts of hard effort followed by rest) to see how each affects the way blood flows through the vessels right after exercising.

People who might join the study are adults between 18 and 50 years old, with a body mass index (BMI) under 30, who are either healthy with normal blood pressure or have been diagnosed with prehypertension. Participants should be mostly inactive or only lightly active and should not be taking any medications, have chronic diseases, or smoke. During the study, participants will visit the research center three times: once to rest, once to do moderate exercise, and once to do high-intensity interval exercise. Before and after each visit, researchers will measure how well their blood vessels are working using different tests. This study aims to better understand how exercise can quickly improve blood vessel health and to test new ways of measuring these changes.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• Normotensive participants inclusion criteria:
• • 18 - 50 years of age, BMI \< 30, blood pressure (BP) within the optimal range according to the latest ESH guidelines (\< 120 mmHg systolic and/or \< 80 mmHg diastolic BP)
• • Sedentary or low active according to the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) (Armstrong \& Bull, 2006; Lim et al., 2012)
• • No prescribed medication and absence of chronic diseases
• Inclusion criteria for prehypertensive individuals:
• • 18 - 50 years of age, BMI \< 30
• • Diagnosed prehypertension by a clinican from the Hypertension clinic, University clinical centre of Ljubljana using established criteria
• • Sedentary or low or moderately active according to the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ)
• • No prescribed medication and absence of chronic diseases
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Blood pressure out of the optimal range (normotensives)
• • High level of phyisical activity (moderate or high active according to GPAQ)
• • Hypotension
• • Chronic diseases
• • Prescribed medication
• • Lower extremity injury in the last six months
• • Menopause
• • Absence of normal menstrual cycle
• • Pregnancy
• • Smoking