Effect of exercise on arterial stiffness: Is there a ceiling effect?
Research output: Contribution to journal › Letter › Research › peer-review
BACKGROUND: Whether arterial stiffness (AS) can be improved by regular exercise in healthy individuals remains equivocal according to cross-sectional and longitudinal studies assessing arterial properties at discrete time points. The purpose of the present study was to pinpoint the time course of training-induced adaptations in central AS.
METHODS: Aorta characteristic impedance (Zc) and carotid distensibility (CD) were determined with ultrasonography prior to (week 0) and across 8 weeks (weeks 2, 4, and 8) of supervised endurance training (ET) (3 × 60 minutes cycle ergometry sessions per week), in 9 previously untrained healthy normotensive adults (27 ± 4 years) with no history of cardiovascular disease. Exercise capacity was assessed by maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) elicited by incremental ergometry.
RESULTS: VO2max increased throughout the ET intervention (+12% from week 0 to week 8, P < 0.001, P for linear trend <0.001). Systolic blood pressure rose with ET (+7% from week 0 to week 8, P = 0.019, P for linear trend <0.001). Aorta Zc augmented from week 0 to week 8 of ET in all individuals (+38%, P = 0.003, P for linear trend = 0.002). CD did not significantly differ among time points (P = 0.196) although a linear decreasing trend was detected (P = 0.016).
CONCLUSIONS: Central AS augments during a conventional ET intervention that effectively enhances aerobic exercise capacity in young individuals. This suggests that normal, healthy elastic arteries are not amendable to improvement unless impairment is present.
Original language | English |
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Journal | American Journal of Hypertension |
Volume | 30 |
Issue number | 11 |
Pages (from-to) | 1069-1072 |
Number of pages | 4 |
ISSN | 0895-7061 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2017 |
- Aorta characteristic impedance, Blood pressure, Ceiling effect, Common carotid distensibility, Hypertension
Research areas
ID: 186719537