• The combined reducing effect of saffron and resistance training on blood pressure in the elderly hypertensive men
  • Shima Mojtahedi,1,* Babak Hooshmand Moghadam,2
    1. Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, between 15th and 16th St., North Kargar st., Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
    2. Department of Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.


  • Introduction: Hypertension, predominant over other risk factors such as diabetes and improper lifestyle and nutrition, is one of the leading causes of death among patients suffering from cardiovascular diseases, especially among middle-aged and older adults in the world. The use of natural therapeutic approaches, such as physical activity and herbs, can help treat this disease. However, we aimed to determine the independent and combined effects of saffron and resistance training on blood pressure (BP) and some biochemical markers in the elderly with hypertension.
  • Methods: The present study was a randomized clinical trial on hypertensive men aged 60-70 years who were assigned to a control group (CO) and three experimental groups; resistance training (RT), saffron (S) and resistance training + saffron (RTS) for 12 weeks. Patients in S and RTS received one tablet containing 200 mg of saffron daily. BP variables, chemical biomarkers, and anthropometric indicators, were measured at weeks 0, 6, 12, and 18. Data were analyzed by repeated measurements analysis of variance (ANOVA).
  • Results: In comparison to the CO (P˂0.001) and S ( P=0.01), RTS reduced systolic blood pressure. Nitric oxide (NO) increased in the RTS compared to the CO group ( P=0.001). There was a significant increase and decrease in adiponectin and endothelin-1 in the S ( P=0.012) (P˂0.001) and RT ( P˂0.001) ( P=0.003) compared to the CO respectively. There was no significant difference between the groups for ANP.
  • Conclusion: Resistance training and consumption of saffron can improve blood pressure in the elderly with hypertension by affecting the factors involved in altering vascular endothelial resistance.
  • Keywords: saffron, resistance training, hypertension, elderly men