Acute Effects of Aerobic Exercise on Arterial Stiffness and Wave Reflection in Young Men and Young Premenopausal Women

Abstract

Arterial stiffness and wave reflection are associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), while aerobic exercise is known to decrease CVD risk. The effects of chronic aerobic exercise training on arterial stiffness and wave reflection have been extensively studied, but data on the acute effects of aerobic exercise on these measures are primarily based on men and are limited and conflicting. The purpose of this study was to examine the sex‐specific acute vascular responses to high‐intensity interval training (HIIT), moderate‐intensity continuous training (MICT) and low‐intensity continuous training (LICT) in young adults. Thirty healthy adults, 15 young men and 15 premenopausal women (21.5±0.4 vs. 21.4±0.7 years of age, means ± SE, P =0.9) participated in this randomized crossover study. The SphygmoCor Xcel device (AtCor medical) was employed to assess arterial stiffness using carotid to femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) and wave reflection using augmentation index (AIx). Measures of cfPWV and AIx were obtained prior to exercise (PreE), following the end of a single bout of HIIT, MICT and LICT on the treadmill (PostE), and following recovery from exercise. HIIT consisted of 4 × 4‐min intervals at 90% peak heart rate (HRpeak) interspersed by recovery bouts at 70% HRpeak for a total of 40 min, whereas MICT and LICT consisted of 47 min at 70% and 50% HRpeak, respectively. cfPWV remained unchanged in response to a single bout of exercise, regardless of exercise intensity or sex (5.5±0.1 vs. 5.5±0.1 vs. 5.4±0.1 m/s, PreE vs. PostE vs. recovery; P=0.2 for main effect of time). AIx decreased following recovery compared with PreE and PostE (P≤0.003), but this response was not influenced by exercise intensity or sex (10.3±1.7 vs. 9.0±1.7 vs. 5.0±1.5 %, PreE vs. PostE vs. recovery; P<0.0001 for main effect of time; P=0.8 for sex × exercise × time). In conclusion, exercise intensity and sex do not modulate central arterial stiffness and wave reflection following a single bout of aerobic exercise. Central arterial stiffness is unaffected by acute exercise, whereas wave reflection decreases following recovery from exercise.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.