Effects of daily exercise on blood pressure, plasma glucose, and obesity measures in 55-64-year-old obese Asian Indian men: The Calcutta longitudinal study

The present longitudinal study was undertaken to study the effect of brisk walking on blood pressure, plasma glucose, and obesity measures in 55-64-year-old obese Asian Indian men. A total of 45 obese (body mass index > 25 kg/m(2)) men took part in the study. They were monitored for 20 weeks. Obesity measures, blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and 30 min of brisk walking were recorded for each participant. Brisk walking was defined as 2 km of walking by 30 min with moderate sweating. A general linear model (GLM) repeated-measures analysis procedure with Scheffe's post hoc test revealed that group I (up to 5 weeks of exercise) had significantly greater means compared to groups II (6-10 weeks), III (11-15 weeks), and IV (16-20 weeks) for body mass index (P < 0.01), waist-hip ratio (P < 0.001), percent body fat (P < 0.05), systolic blood pressure (P < 0.001), diastolic blood pressure (P < 0.001), and FPG (P < 0.001), whereas group I had a significantly lower mean than groups II, III, and IV for frequency of brisk walking (P < 0.01). It was also observed that change in A blood pressure and A FPG had a significant positive association with A obesity measures, independent of age effect. Therefore, brisk walking is recommended to lower blood pressure, blood glucose, and obesity (particularly central obesity) in middle-aged obese individuals.