Extended Abstract

1.   Introduction and Objective

High blood pressure is one of the deadliest causes of cardiovascular disease in the world, but it is preventable. Its overall prevalence is 30-45% in adults and about 60% in people over 60 years old. According to the seventh report of the National Joint Committee on Prevention, Identification, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure, Hypertension is known as systolic blood pressure above 140 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure above 90 mm Hg. In women, after natural or surgical postmenopausal, estrogen levels decrease gradually or suddenly. Postmenopausal it can increase the risk of heart disease and metabolic disorders. Cross-sectional data have shown that hypertension is four times more common in postmenopausal women than in non-menopausal women. Changing the life style is the primary treatment for high blood pressure and can be like a drug treatment. These changes include reducing salt intake, avoiding alcohol, consuming plant-based foods, losing weight and regular physical activity .Among the non-pharmacological approaches to prevent and treat high blood pressure, exercise is probably the most promising .It is now well accepted that blood pressure decreases temporarily after short-term exercise, and this effect, called post-exercise hypotension (PEH), can last for several hours in hypertensive individuals. Frequent bouts of short-term sports activities are an important factor in long-term adaptations which prevents or delays the onset of high blood pressure.

Another type of treatment that has received attention in recent years is the use of medicinal plants. Black seed, also known as black cumin, has many therapeutic values, including for diabetes, tumors, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, inflammation, and digestive disorders. Among the possible mechanisms involved in lowering blood pressure are the cardiac suppressive effect (decreasing cardiac function), calcium channels and Diuretic effect.

However, the effect of aerobic and resistance training methods in combination with black seed consumption in patients with high blood pressure has been less investigated. In addition, research on people with prehypertensive conditions is more limited. Based on the information stated, this study aimed to investigate The effect of combined exercise and consumption of black seeds on some indicators of physical performance in postmenopausal women with prehypertension.

2.      Materials and Methods

40 postmenopausal women with systolic blood pressure of 130-139 and diastolic blood pressure of 85-89 mmHg were purposefully selected and randomly assigned to four groups of combined exercise + black seed, combined exercise, black seed + placebo. 24 hours before the training period and after the last session, anthropometric, functional, systolic, and diastolic blood pressure indicators were evaluated. The exercise groups did rope and Swiss ball exercises three times a week for eight weeks, and the supplement groups took 2000 mg of black seed (1000 mg capsules) twice a day.

Analysis of data: In the descriptive statistics section, mean and standard deviation were used. Normality hypothesis was assessed by Shapiro-Wilk test and homoscedasticity assumptions by Levene’s test for equality of variances. Analysis of MA-ANOVA tests were used to compare between groups. The significance level was p≤0.05.

3.   Results

There was no significant difference between the groups in weight, thigh circumference, waist circumference, upper body functional strength, cardiorespiratory endurance, agility and diastolic blood pressure (p < 0.05), but there was a significant improvement in the hand strength of the training + black seed group compared to the black seed and placebo groups, the fat percentage of the training + black seed group compared to the placebo group, and the lower body functional strength of the training + black seed and training groups compared to the group. The central strength and endurance of the training group compared to the nigella group and the functional endurance of the lower body of the training group + nigella compared to the nigella and placebo groups and the systolic blood pressure of the training group + nigella compared to the exercise, nigella and placebo groups were observed (p≤0.05).

4.   Conclusions

It is possible that rope skipping + Swiss ball training with black seed supplement can have a beneficial effect on systolic blood pressure and some performance indicators of women with prehypertensive conditions.

5.      Acknowledgment & Funding

Ethical considerations were followed based to the guidelines

Presented by the Ethics Committee of Hakim Sabzevari University.

6.   Ethical Considerations

This study was conducted without any financial sponsor.

7.   Authors' Contributions

All authors contributed to the editing, writing, and preparation of this article.

8. Conflict of Interest

The authors have no conflict of interest.

9. Acknowledgments

We are very grateful to the respected professors, colleagues, and others who cooperated in the implementation of this thesis.