Blood flow restriction training on hypertesive subjects: a systematic review

Introduction: Systemic arterial hypertension has been growing worldwide, causing thousands of deaths and large expenses in this condition treatment. Currently, resistance training (RT) is widely prescribed as a non-pharmacological option for blood pressure control, but there are some individuals with intolerance to high load of RT. Hence, blood flow restriction is a method created to stimulate high level of physiological adaptations with low resistive load. However, there are uncertainties about safety and efficacy of this method. Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the safety and efficacy of blood flow restriction training in hypertensive individuals. Material and method: The research was carried out through a systematic review within the criteria established by the PRISMA statement. Only studies about blood flow restriction in subjects with arterial hypertension were selected in the following databases: MEDLINE/PUBMED, Web of Science, SCOPUS and SPORTDiscus. Results: Five studies (4 acute and 1 chronic effects ) met the requirements for the present review, with 77 hypertensive individuals. Only one study presented levels of blood pressure above to the recommended for hypertensive subjects. Conclusion: Even though the number of studies is still insufficient to conclude about the efficacy, the results allow concluding that resistance training with blood flow restriction is a safe alternative of exercise method to hypertensive subjects, especially for those with intolerance to high training loads.