Abstract
BackgroundPrevious studies have found that aerobic exercise was more effective in improving vascular endothelial function than resistance training, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and other types of exercise, while the effects between different intensities and durations of aerobic exercise were unclear. Therefore, we performed this meta-analysis to investigate the effects of different intensities and durations of aerobic exercise on the vascular endothelial function of middle-aged and elderly people.Methods:Databases were searched up to April 2021 for studies evaluating the influences of different intensities and durations of aerobic exercise on endothelial function assessed by flow-mediated dilation (FMD) among healthy middle-aged and elderly people. Data were pooled using random-effects models to obtain the weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).ResultsA total of 9 studies involving 221 participants fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Aerobic exercise improved the overall FMD of healthy middle-aged and elderly people [WMD, 1.33 (95% CI, 0.37–2.28), P < 0.05]. Specifically, vigorous-intensity exercise increased FMD significantly in healthy middle-aged and elderly people [WMD, 1.10 (95% CI, 0.27–1.93), P < 0.05], while moderate-intensity exercise had no significant association with FMD [WMD, 1.49 (95% CI, −0.62 to 3.60), P = 0.17]. In addition, long-term (8 weeks or above) aerobic exercise increased the FMD in healthy middle-aged and elderly people [WMD, 1.63 (95% CI, 0.61–2.66), P < 0.05], while one-time acute aerobic exercise had no significant association with FMD of healthy middle-aged and elderly people [WMD, 0.89 (95% CI, −1.47 to 3.24), P = 0.46]. Specifically, 8 weeks or above of vigorous-intensity exercise increased FMD significantly in healthy middle-aged and elderly people [WMD, 1.48 (95% CI, 1.06–1.90), P < 0.01], while 8 weeks or above of moderate aerobic exercise had no significant association with FMD [WMD, 1.49 (95% CI, −0.62 to 3.60), P = 0.17].ConclusionAerobic exercise, especially 8 weeks or above of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise, improved the endothelial function in healthy middle-aged and elderly people.
Highlights
Aging is an inevitable cardiovascular risk factor, and the increase in age will make the body more susceptible to pathological stress (Tian and Li, 2014) and increase the prevalence of various cardiovascular diseases (CVD) include arteriosclerosis, hypertension, stroke, and so on (North and Sinclair, 2012)
Long-term (8 weeks or above) aerobic exercise increased the Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in healthy middle-aged and elderly people [weighted mean difference (WMD), 1.63, P < 0.05], while one-time acute aerobic exercise had no significant association with FMD of healthy middle-aged and elderly people [WMD, 0.89, P = 0.46]
8 weeks or above of vigorous-intensity exercise increased FMD significantly in healthy middle-aged and elderly people [WMD, 1.48, P < 0.01], while 8 weeks or above of moderate aerobic exercise had no significant association with FMD [WMD, 1.49, P = 0.17]
Summary
Aging is an inevitable cardiovascular risk factor, and the increase in age will make the body more susceptible to pathological stress (Tian and Li, 2014) and increase the prevalence of various cardiovascular diseases (CVD) include arteriosclerosis, hypertension, stroke, and so on (North and Sinclair, 2012). Previous studies have found that aerobic exercise was more effective in improving vascular endothelial function than resistance training, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and other types of exercise, while the effects between different intensities and durations of aerobic exercise were unclear We performed this meta-analysis to investigate the effects of different intensities and durations of aerobic exercise on the vascular endothelial function of middle-aged and elderly people. Methods: Databases were searched up to April 2021 for studies evaluating the influences of different intensities and durations of aerobic exercise on endothelial function assessed by flow-mediated dilation (FMD) among healthy middle-aged and elderly people. Data were pooled using random-effects models to obtain the weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs)
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