Meta-Analysis of Effects of Voluntary Slow Breathing Exercises for Control of Heart Rate and Blood Pressure in Patients With Cardiovascular Diseases.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
PubMed 28502461 · doi:10.1016/j.amjcard.2017.03.247
What was done
Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials searching Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and PEDro through April 2016. The review evaluated the effect of voluntary slow breathing exercises on resting heart rate, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and training compliance in patients with cardiovascular diseases.
What was found
Across 6 randomized controlled trials comprising 269 subjects with trial durations from 2 weeks to 6 months, slow breathing exercises resulted in statistically significant reductions compared to controls: resting heart rate mean difference of -1.72 beats/min (95% CI -2.70 to -0.75), systolic blood pressure mean difference of -6.36 mm Hg (95% CI -10.32 to -2.39), and diastolic blood pressure mean difference of -6.39 mm Hg (95% CI -7.30 to -5.49). Numeric findings for compliance were not reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
Voluntary slow breathing provides a non-pharmacological adjunct to help lower resting heart rate and blood pressure in patients with cardiovascular disease.
Limits
The total sample size across the 6 included trials is small (269 subjects). Follow-up was limited to short-term durations (2 weeks to 6 months), specific cardiovascular conditions were not broken down in the abstract, and clinical cardiovascular outcomes were not evaluated.
Cited by
- supports Slow, controlled breathing can produce a 7-point drop in systolic blood pressure.