Animal study · Aging · 14 Oct 2026
In 20 aging male rats with hypertension, eight weeks of intervals lowered blood pressure without changing four endothelial genes
Source: PLOS One
What the research found
Study (male rats, plus a comparison with published human biopsies). Twenty 12-month-old male spontaneously hypertensive rats were split evenly into sedentary and trained groups. Eight weeks of treadmill intervals, 50 minutes a day and five days a week, lowered blood pressure and improved physical performance. Expression of NOS3, VEGF, EDN1, and PIK3R2 did not change in the soleus or diaphragm. A separate public dataset of vastus lateralis biopsies from healthy people showed a similar lack of change after intervals four times a week for six weeks, while a shorter three-week protocol did change NOS3, VEGF, and PIK3R2. Rat data are not a blood-pressure plan for people. Not medical advice.
Evidence level: Animal study. Results in animals or cells often don't carry over to people.
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