Arterial hypertension is a chronic disease that affects approximately 40% of the population, with higher incidence at older ages. Arterial hypertension is a risk factor for other cardiovascular diseases, such as heart failure, stroke, atherosclerosis and also chronic renal disease. It is estimated that more than 50% of deaths from coronary diseases and stroke occur in hypertensive patients; for this reason, hypertension produces high costs in health and constitutes a public health problem. In this context, the development of nonpharmacological therapies is a cost-effective strategy with few side effects, that helps in the prevention of comorbidities, such as diabetes and obesity, and increases the cardiovascular risk of the patient. Among nonpharmacological strategies, physical exercise deserves consideration.

Rodrigues et al., in the study published in this issue of Arquivos Brasileiros de Cardiologia, evaluated the effect of moderate aerobic exercise on a treadmill in spontaneously hypertensive rats. The animals ran at 18-22m/min for 60 minutes, five times a week, for eight weeks. The study confirmed the anti-hypertensive effects of aerobic exercise, as already reported previously. More recently, other types of exercise in addition to aerobic training, such as resistance and interval training, have been shown to be promising in preventing hypertension. Prescription of physical exercise for the treatment and prevention of hypertension is well established, and more recent guidelines for the treatment of hypertension strongly recommend exercise as a therapeutic option.^,

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