# Improving Blood Pressure & Vascular risk with resistance exercise in African Americans

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO · 2020 · $675,063

## Abstract

African Americans have the highest rates of hypertension in the world. Effective therapies and awareness of
hypertension in African Americans have declined this past decade contributing to further racial disparities in
cardiovascular (CV) disease rates and mortality compared to Caucasians. Further, the traditional
recommendation for lifestyle management of hypertension with diet and aerobic exercise is based on data
obtained from studies involving mostly Caucasians. There are no exercise prescription guidelines for
improving blood pressure specific for African Americans and the management of hypertension in this
population continues to be problematic. A recent study in our laboratory showed divergent effects of resistance
exercise training on blood pressure and arterial function in African Americans compared to Caucasians indicating
that resistance exercise may exert more beneficial effects than aerobic exercise on early vascular risk. Thus,
the goal of our research program is to determine novel exercise interventions, designed to optimally target
arterial function and lower blood pressure in African Americans with pre and stage 1 hypertension. The overall
hypothesis of this proposal is that is that African Americans with pre-hypertension and stage 1 hypertension will
show greater benefit from resistance exercise training on arterial function and blood pressure and retain the
benefit longer than aerobic exercise. Conversely, in Caucasians, aerobic exercise will improve arterial function
and reduce cardiovascular risk more than resistance exercise. Aim 1 will test the comparative effectiveness of
8-weeks of resistance or aerobic exercise training and de-training on blood pressure in African Americans with
pre- and stage 1 hypertension compared to Caucasians. This will be tested with a prospective, randomized, 8
week resistance vs. aerobic exercise training intervention followed by 8 weeks of detraining in African American
and Caucasian adults (18-45 years old). Aim 2 will test the comparative effectiveness of 8-weeks of resistance
or aerobic exercise training and de-training on 24 hour ambulatory blood pressure and arterial stiffness in
central and peripheral arteries in African Americans compared to Caucasians. Aim 3 will determine the
effectiveness of 8-weeks of resistance or aerobic exercise training and de-training on arterial function in
conduit and resistance arteries of pre- and stage 1 hypertensive African Americans compared to Caucasians.
This will be determined in large (brachial artery FMD) and in small (dilation of isolated resistance arteries to
acetylcholine and flow) arteries obtained from subcutaneous fat. In vivo determination of arterial function and
physiologic approaches of resistance artery functioning are highly relevant to the pathogenesis of hypertension.
These studies will serve determine the site and source of improved vascular health after resistance training in
African Americans and Caucasians. Relevance: This study wil...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9980978
- **Project number:** 5R01HL130513-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Shane A Phillips
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $675,063
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-07-01 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9980978

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9980978, Improving Blood Pressure & Vascular risk with resistance exercise in African Americans (5R01HL130513-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9980978. Licensed CC0.

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