Effect of Electroacupuncture on Stress-induced High Blood Pressure via Autonomic Nervous System in Normotensive Young Adults

Abstract

Acupuncture, which is widely used as a complementary and alternative medicine, has been expected to be beneficial for the treatment of hypertension. However, the antihypertensive effect of acupuncture is still under debate. In the present study, the blood pressure induced by handgrip stress were evaluated using power spectral frequency analysis and hormone examination. This study, which recruited 6 normotensive participants, was designed as a randomized crossover trial of two interventions; electroacupuncture and sham-electroacupuncture. Intervention was delivered as 5 sessions over 2 consecutive weeks. The first electroacupuncture immediately before handgrip exercise did not affect the rates of increase in blood pressure and heart rate. Also, neither increase in LF/HF ratio, as sympathetic nerve activity, nor decrease in HF value, as parasympathetic nerve activity, by handgrip stress was significantly inhibited by a single intervention of electroacupuncture. In addition, 5 repeated electroacupuncture sessions did not attenuate the elevation of blood pressure after handgrip stress, and did not suppress the increase in LF/HF ratio and decrease in HF value. Also, electroacupuncture did not influence the changes in plasma concentrations of renin, aldosterone, norepinephrine, and epinephrine after handgrip stress. No difference was observed in the rate of change in each parameter after handgrip stress between the electroacupuncture treatment group and the sham-electroacupuncture group. The present study did not show any suppressive effect on stress-induced response of blood pressure as well as sympathetic nerve activity. The obtained findings showed no beneficial effects of acupuncture on hypertension as a standalone therapy, consistent with suggestions by previous systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Research with larger sample sizes or higher-quality randomized controlled trials are expected, and a conclusion on the utility of acupuncture treatment for hypertension should be carefully made.