Participating in high-intensity exercise can help teenagers drive down blood pressure, which may lead to a lower risk of developing heart disease later in life, according to a new study released by the University of Exeter.
To find out the correlation between heart disease and exercise, researchers at the Children's Health and Exercise Research Centre at the University of Exeter, recruited healthy male teenagers, most of whom are 13 to 15 years old. They underwent testing on four separate occasions across three weeks.
The results show that teenagers who participate in high-intensity exercise have lower blood pressure.
The fall in blood pressure of healthy teenagers may have a long-term clinical importance if translated to those with high blood pressure, as previously reported in adults.
Similarly, the blood pressure reducing effects of the exercise could lead to better blood pressure control, particularly when young people face stressful situations, according to the study.
However, the study has some limitation, and benefits of high-intensity exercise need confirmation with further research, as the effects of exercise training on the control of blood pressure following exercise in teenagers remain to be seen, the researchers said.
