Sex Differences in Arterial Stiffness after Exercise in Young Individuals

Abstract

Large artery stiffness has been recognized as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Thirteen college age young men (height: 180 ± 1 cm, weight: 92 ± 5 kg) and seventeen college age young women (height: 163 ± 2 cm, weight: 69 ± 3 kg) underwent measures of central (carotid-femoral), leg (carotid-femoral) and brachial (carotid-radial) pulse-wave velocity (PWV) before, 15 min after, and 30 min after a graded maximal aerobic exercise test (EX) on a stationary bike by applanation tonometry. Central PWV was significantly higher in men at all time points (Male: from 6.1 ± 0.2 to 6.2 ± 0.2 to 5.8 ± 0.1m/s; Female: from 5.4 ± 0.3 to 5.4 ± 0.3 to 5.4 ± 0.3 m/s, p<0.05), but the response to exercise was similar. In men, brachial PWV remained the same after EX and increased at 30 min post exercise (from 7.8 ± 0.2 to 7.8 ± 0.3 to 8.5 ± 0.2 m/s), whereas in women brachial PWV decreased after EX (from 7.6 ± 0.3 to 7.0 ± 0.3 to 7.1 ± 0.3 m/s, p<0.05). Leg PWV changed with time (Male: from 8.8 ± 0.3 to 8.0 ± 0.5 to 8.6 ± 0.3 m/s; Female: from 8.4 ± 0.5 to 7.1 ± 0.3 to 7.9 ± 0.4m/s, p< 0.05), but no sex differences was found. This is the first study to note large sex differences in the peripheral arterial response to exercise, suggesting greater central arterial stiffness in young men and brachial arterial stiffening following exercise. This is consistent with the notion of higher cardiovascular risk even in young men than in women.