Effect of walking on cardiovascular risk factors

Brisk walking may improve cardiovascular fitness, reduce body weight and body fat, and lower diastolic blood-pressure in healthy but sedentary individuals.

A systematic review including 24 studies with a total of 1128 subjects was abstracted in DARE. Compared with participants in the control groups, participants in the intervention groups reported: a significant increase in cardiovascular fitness (WMD 2.73 mL/kg, SD=0.35, p<0.001), a reduction in body weight (WMD -0.95 kg, SD=0.25, p<0.001), a reduction in body fat (WMD -0.63%, SD=0.35, p=0.035), a reduction in BMI (WMD -0.28 kg/m2, SD=0.13, p=0.015), and a reduction in diastolic blood-pressure (WMD -1.54 mmHg, SD=0.79, p=0.026). There was no evidence for a change in systolic blood-pressure between the control and intervention groups (WMD -1.54 mmHg, SD=2.23, p=0.316).

Comment: The quality of evidence is downgraded by limitations in review methodology and inconsistency.

Ədəbiyyat

1. Murphy MH, Nevill AM, Murtagh EM, Holder RL. The effect of walking on fitness, fatness and resting blood pressure: a meta-analysis of randomised, controlled trials. Prev Med 2007 May;44(5):377-85.