• metabolic syndrome
• hypertension
• endothelial function
• dietary intake
• arterial stiffness
• antioxidants
• physical activity

This thesis describes that essential hypertension is a powerful predictor of cardiovascular disease, accompanied by endothelial dysfunction and increased arterial stiffness. In the studied population, the presence of the metabolic syndrome in patients with overt disease such as hypertension was not associated with ulterior increase in endothelial dysfunction or arterial stiffness. Furthermore, regular physical activity was associated only with a lower augmentation index in normotensive subject but not in hypertensive patients. We found an association between regular high intensity endurance exercise, antioxidant capacity and preserved endothelial function in healthy older men, confirming the important mechanism of antioxidant defenses against oxidative stress. In this line we also showed a beneficial effect of vitamin antioxidant supplementation on arterial stiffness and endothelial function in essential hypertensive patients after 8 weeks of vitamin C and E supplementation. This association was not observed in the evaluation of regular intake of antioxidants.