Post-exercise hypotension (PEH) is defined as a sustained reduction in blood pressure (BP) after a single exercise session. This transient reduction can last up to 24 hours. For this reason, PEH is considered an important physiological phenomenon, which can play an important role in BP management [1].

Thus, for greater therapeutic relevance, the hypotensive response should be prolonged and of greater amplitude. However, the magnitude and duration of this response tend to vary widely among studies [2]. This variation is attributed to a myriad of factors, including, antihypertensive drug therapy adopted, training status, training parameters, and the data analysis approach [3].

In addition to these several factors that can generate different pressure responses after exercise, important individual variations are also observed. Previous studies have identified “responsive” and “non-responsive” normotensive, and hypertensive patients [1]. The results of studies on PEH are generally focused on presenting only the mean BP reduction responses of the training group, thus ignoring the inter-individual variations, which can lead to misinterpretation, since the positive effects of a given training protocol may not be fully reproduced for each person [4].

In this scenario, studies have shown that l-arginine (a natural semi-essential amino acid that is particularly rich in certain foods such as meats and nuts) plays a significant role in nitric oxide synthesis, increasing the bioavailability of this important mediator of peripheral vasodilation. Thus, the supplementation of this amino acid can reduce the inter-individual variation of the PEH response, especially in hypertensive individuals, improving the non-pharmacological management of arterial hypertension.

Therefore, the present study aimed to analyze the inter-individual responsiveness of PEH after a single dose of l-arginine supplementation in hypertensive patients. Hypotheses:

there will be inter-individual variability in the post-exercise pressure response;

oral supplementation of l-arginine will contribute to reducing the rate of non-responsive.