Cardiorespiratory Fitness & Healthy Vascular Aging

Abstract

Healthy Vascular Aging (HVA), defined as carotid femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV; arterial stiffness) <7.6 m/s and absence of hypertension in adults ≥50 years of age, is associated with lower incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Higher cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is associated with lower CVD mortality; however, the relation between HVA and CRF has not been examined. PURPOSE: To determine the relation between HVA and CRF in an apparently healthy adult population. METHODS: One hundred and one individuals (54M/47F) with a mean age of 63.5 ± 0.8 years and body mass index (BMI) of 28.3 ± 0.5 kg/m2 underwent measures of vascular hemodynamics (cfPWV; resting blood pressure, BP), CRF (VO2max), and traditional CVD risk factors. Participants were divided into either the HVA or no-HVA groups based on the resting cfPWV and BP values and medication status. Data were analyzed with unpaired t-tests and Pearson correlations. RESULTS: HVA was present in 25% (n=25) of the subjects, while 75% (n=76) had no-HVA. Compared to no-HVA, HVA were younger (59.7 ± 1.8 vs. 64.7 ± 0.9 years, p<0.05), had lower cfPWV (6.7 ± 0.1 vs. 8.5 ± 0.1 m/s, p<0.05) and systolic BP (111.2 ± 2.5 vs. 117.6 ± 1.5 mmHg, p<0.05). CRF was not different between groups (27.2 ± 1.4 vs. 25.2 ± 0.8 ml/kg/min, p>0.05), but age and sex adjusted CRF percentiles according to the Fitness Registry and Importance of Exercise National Database (FRIEND) demonstrated greater CRF in HVA vs. no-HVA (62% ± 5.7 vs. 47% ± 3.0, p<0.05). HVA compared with no-HVA had lower (p<0.05) BMI (26.3 ± 1.1 vs. 29.0 ± 0.6 kg/m2, p<0.05), waist circumference (88.9 ± 2.8 vs. 98.5 ± 1.6 cm, p<0.05), and blood glucose (91.8 ± 2.1 vs. 103.4 ± 2.6 mg/dL, p<0.05). cfPWV (r=-0.3406) and bSBP (r=-0.3202) were both inversely correlated with the FRIEND percentiles (p<0.05, both). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate HVA is associated with greater CRF. These data support the notion for lower CVD-related mortality with higher levels of CRF may be attributable, in part, to HVA.