The Impact of Different Exercise Intensities on Vasodilation and Shear Rate Patterns in Children.

Abstract

The effect of exercise intensity on vasodilator function is poorly understood in children. The authors compared the acute effect of high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) with moderate-intensity steady-state exercise (MISS) on postexercise vasodilation and shear patterns in 7- to 12- year-old children. Superficial femoral artery diameter, shear rates, and flow-mediated dilation were measured pre, immediately following (post), and 1 hour after (post60) HIIE (six 1-min sprints at 90% peak power [Wmax], with 1-min recovery) and MISS (15min at 44% Wmax). Baseline superficial femoral artery diameter increased similarly following both HIIE (pre 4.23 [0.41]mm, post 4.73 [0.56]mm) and MISS (pre 4.28 [0.56]mm, post 4.59 [0.64]mm), returning to preexercise values post60. Blood flow and antegrade shear rate were increased post HIIE and MISS, but to a greater extent, post HIIE (P < .05). Retrograde shear rate was attenuated post both exercise conditions and remained post60 (P < .001). There was a decline in flow-mediated dilation postexercise (HIIE Δ -2.9%; MISS Δ -2.4%), which was no longer apparent when corrected for baseline diameter. Acute bouts of external work-matched HIIE or MISS exert a similar impact on shear-mediated conduit artery vasodilation and flow-mediated dilation in children, and this is reversed 1 hour after exercise.