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For immediate release                           Contact: Rebecca Levine
Sept. 1, 1994                                   (919) 684-4148
                                                levin005@mc.duke.edu


DUKE STUDY WILL EXAMINE ROLE OF
EXERCISE ON BLOOD PRESSURE IN BLACKS


      DURHAM, N.C. -- Blacks have twice the prevalence of high blood
pressure as whites but a Duke University researcher says the
medical treatments for this condition have been tested largely on
whites, who may respond differently.
      To rectify this dearth of research on blacks, James
Blumenthal, professor of behavioral medicine in the department of
psychiatry, has designed a research study to determine if exercise
-- believed to help lower blood pressure among whites -- will have
the same effect on older blacks. Blumenthal said the findings may
help doctors tailor their treatments toward the needs of this
population.
      "There's reason to believe that blacks might respond
differently to exercise than whites," Blumenthal said.
"Hypertension may have a different etiology among African Americans
-- they may be more likely to retain sodium, to exhibit blood
vessel constriction under stress, and they may respond differently
to certain blood pressure medications than whites." 
      If exercise proves to be a viable treatment for hypertension,
then exercise could -- in some cases -- replace costly medications
that have unwanted side effects, he said.
      The Duke study seeks 80 black volunteers, over the age of 50,
who are not taking blood pressure medication, whose blood pressure
exceeds 135/85, and who are healthy enough to participate in
medically supervised exercise, including bicycling and walking.
Over a four-month period, participants will build up to an hour of
exercise three times a week at the Duke Center For Living's fitness
building. 
      Researchers will monitor changes in adrenaline (a stress
hormone) and salt retention before and after the exercise regimen
to see if exercise affects sodium excretion and reduces adrenaline.
Scientists at Duke theorize that salt use by blacks may lead to
high blood pressure because of an inherited trait that causes
blacks to retain table salt they eat. 
      "We hope to find that blood pressure and stress levels will be
lower in subjects who exercise and to identify potential mechanisms
for that effect," said Blumenthal.
      In the study, only half the subjects will progress through the
exercise regimen. The other half, the control group, will receive
routine medical care but will be asked to maintain their usual
dietary and exercise habits.  At the end of four months,
researchers will compare the two groups' blood pressure.
      All participants will receive free blood pressure screenings,
treadmill testing, electrocardiograms, one week of free meals prior
to or after the study, and a $100 stipend. The control group also
will receive a four-month membership to the fitness center after
the study ends.                      -----
      For more information, call Larry Preston or Beth Gullette at
684-5820.
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