A comparison of passive heat treatment-induced vascular adaptations relative to exercise training

Abstract

Epidemiological data indicate that repeated heat stress improves cardiovascular health, making passive heat therapy (PHT) a potential alternative for those unable to exercise. Few studies to date have examined the potential exercise mimetic effects in humans, and it is unclear how adaptations compare in magnitude to exercise training. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of 6 weeks of localized, muscle-focused PHT on resistance artery vascular function, exercise hemodynamics, and exercise performance relative to the adaptations observed following high-intensity aerobic exercise training focused on the same muscles. HYPOTHESIS: 6 weeks of PHT, applied through pulsed shortwave diathermy (2 hr, 3 days/week), would increase resistance artery function, improve exercise hemodynamics, and enhance exercise performance more than a sham treatment, but less than single-leg knee extension (KE) exercise training (EX; 40 min, 3 days/week). We also hypothesized that these functional adaptations would be accompanied by increased skeletal muscle capillarity. METHODS: We randomized 34 sedentary but otherwise healthy, young adults (ages 18–36; n = 17 female, 17 male) to receive PHT, EX, or sham heating sessions (SHAM; 2 hr, 3 days/week) over 6 weeks. Vascular function was determined through the blood flow response during both a passive leg movement (PLM) assessment and a knee extension graded exercise test (GXTmax). Muscle biopsies were taken from the vastus lateralis at baseline and after 6 weeks of intervention. RESULTS: Peak muscle treatment temperature was significantly different between all groups with PHT exhibiting a higher peak temperature (~40.80°C) than those in the EX (~37.75°C, P<0.001) and SHAM groups (~36.10°C, P<0.001). Peak blood flow during PLM increased to the same extent (P=0.625) in both the EX (~10.5% increase, P=0.009) and PHT groups (~8.5% increase, P=0.044); but tended to decrease in the SHAM group (P=0.087). KE peak flow increased in EX (~19%, P=0.005), but did not change in PHT (P=0.523) and decreased in SHAM (~7%, P=0.020). Peak vascular conductance during KE significantly increased by ~25% in EX (P=0.030) and PHT (P=0.012). KE peak power increased in EX by ~27% (P=0.001) but did not significantly change in PHT(P=0.175) and SHAM groups (P=0.111). EX, but not PHT or SHAM increased muscle capillary-to-fiber ratio (P = 0.0003), capillary density (P = 0.0428), and the Capillary to Fiber Perimeter Exchange Index (P = 0.0089). CONCLUSIONS: 6 weeks of localized PHT, when applied to young healthy individuals, improved resistance artery function at rest and during exercise to the same extent as exercise training. However, PHT did not lead to increased KE peak flow, microvascular remodeling, or improved exercise performance. Therefore, PHT mimics many, but not all the vascular benefits of exercise training. Further research is necessary to determine the mechanism by which 6 weeks of PHT led to improved vascular function at rest and during exercise. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2023 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.