Can Six‐Weeks of Whole‐Body Resistance Training Improve Endothelial Function in Older Adults?

Abstract

Aerobic exercise training improves peripheral vascular function in older adults. However, it is unclear whether resistance training (RT) has similar benefits on vascular health in this population. Additionally, there is a paucity of research evaluating the influence of RT on vascular function in lower‐limb arteries, which are more susceptible to the development of atherosclerosis. Our aim was to determine if RT improves upper‐ and/or lower‐limb vascular endothelial function in older adults. We assessed vascular function in 8 older adults (2♂, 66±8 years, BMI, 26.3±3.6 kg/m2) before and after six‐weeks of whole‐body RT. The supervised RT program was conducted 3 days/week and consisted of 8 exercises working all major muscle groups for 2 sets of 10 repetitions. Vascular endothelial function was assessed using high‐resolution duplex ultrasonography via the flow‐mediated dilation (FMD) technique in both the brachial (BA) and popliteal arteries (PA). Nitroglycerin‐mediated dilation (NMD, 0.4 mg sublingual spray) was assessed in the PA as a measure of endothelial‐independent function. Muscular fitness was assessed via maximal grip strength and the 30‐second sit to stand test. Following the RT program, BA‐FMD increased (p=0.04) from 4.6±1.3% to 6.6±2.2% without a corresponding change (p>0.05) in PA‐FMD (2.2±1.7% to 2.8±1.8%). However, there was a large effect size determined for PA‐FMD (d=2.1) and the overall absolute PA‐FMD increased by 26% (0.156±0.140 mm to 0.204±0.150 mm; p>0.05). No differences were observed in resting BA and PA diameters, nor in PA‐NMD (all p>0.05). Following RT, no BMI or muscular fitness changes were observed (p>0.05). Short‐term whole‐body RT induces favorable outcomes in upper limb vascular function in older adults, without parallel improvements in the lower‐limb. This latter finding suggests that a longer RT intervention may be required to augment lower‐limb vascular health in older adults. Independent of changes in BMI or muscular strength, RT appears be an effective intervention for combating age‐associated declines in upper limb endothelial function, which in turn, may decrease their risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.Support or Funding InformationSupport provided by: Canadian Foundation for Innovation: Leaders Opportunity Fund, Faculty of Health Professions Research Development, and Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation Development/Innovation grants. SAR and MWO were recipients of a Nova Scotia Graduate Scholarship. MWO was awarded a Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation Scotia Scholar Award and a Heart & Stroke BrightRed Award.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.