Effects of exercise intensity on hypertension prevalence in Korean men with high sodium intake

[Purpose] The purpose of present study was to investigate the effects of exercise intensity on hypertension prevalence in Korean men with high sodium intake. [Subjects and Methods] This study was based on the data collected from 2007 to 2013 in the Korean National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey. A total of 8853 male adults were included in the analysis. The odds ratios for hypertension according to exercise groups were assessed by using logistic regression of each sodium intake group. [Results] Among the 8853 subjects, 6243 had an eating habit of 4000 mg or more sodium consumption per day, and 2619 had less than 4000 mg. Among the 2619 subjects with less than 4000 mg sodium consumption, 16.7% subjects were diagnosed as having hypertension. In the subjects with 4000 mg or more sodium consumption, compared to the no-exercise group, the moderate-exercise group showed a lower likelihood of developing hypertension, with an odds ratio of 0.63 (95% confidence interval, 0.47–0.85) after adjusting for age. In multivariate models 1 and 2, odds ratios for the likelihood of developing hypertension in the moderate-exercise group decreased to 0.63 (0.43–0.91) and 0.66 (0.45–0.96), respectively. [Conclusion] Moderate exercise is significantly associated with a lower likelihood of developing hypertension in cases of high sodium intake.