(Circulation. 2000;102:1351.)
© 2000 American Heart Association, Inc.
Clinical Investigation and Reports |
Regular Aerobic Exercise Prevents and Restores Age-Related Declines in Endothelium-Dependent Vasodilation in Healthy Men
From the Human Cardiovascular Research Laboratory, Center for Physical Activity, Disease Prevention, and Aging, Department of Kinesiology and Applied Physiology, University of Colorado, Boulder (C.A.D., L.F.S., C.M.C., F.A.D., K.D.M., H.T., D.R.S.); and the Department of Medicine, Divisions of Cardiology and Geriatric Medicine, University of Colorado, Health Sciences Center, Denver (D.R.S.).
Correspondence to Christopher DeSouza, PhD, Department of Kinesiology and Applied Physiology, University of Colorado, Campus Box 354, Boulder, CO 80309. E-mail desouzac{at}stripe.colorado.edu
Background—In sedentary humans endothelium-dependent vasodilation is impaired with advancing age contributing to their increased cardiovascular risk, whereas endurance-trained adults demonstrate lower age-related risk. We determined the influence of regular aerobic exercise on the age-related decline in endothelium-dependent vasodilation.
Methods and Results—In a cross-sectional study, 68 healthy men 22
to 35 or 50 to 76 years of age who were either sedentary or endurance
exercise–trained were studied. Forearm blood flow (FBF) responses to
intra-arterial infusions of acetylcholine and sodium
nitroprusside were measured by strain-gauge plethysmography. Among the
sedentary men, the maximum FBF response to acetylcholine was 25% lower
in the middle aged and older compared with the young group
(P<0.01). In contrast, there was no age-related
difference in the vasodilatory response to acetylcholine among the
endurance-trained men. FBF at the highest acetylcholine dose was almost
identical in the middle aged and older (17.3±1.3 mL/100 mL tissue per
minute) and young (17.7±1.4 mL/100 mL tissue per minute)
endurance-trained groups. There were no differences in the FBF
responses to sodium nitroprusside among the sedentary and endurance-
trained groups. In an exercise intervention study, 13 previously
sedentary middle aged and older healthy men completed a 3-month,
home-based aerobic exercise intervention (primarily walking). After the
exercise intervention, acetylcholine-mediated vasodilation increased
30% (P<0.01) to levels similar to those in young
adults and middle aged and older endurance-trained men.
Conclusions—Our results indicate that regular aerobic exercise can prevent the age-associated loss in endothelium-dependent vasodilation and restore levels in previously sedentary middle aged and older healthy men. This may represent an important mechanism by which regular aerobic exercise lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease in this population.
Key Words: exercise • endothelium • vasodilation • nitric oxide • blood flow
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