Enhanced endothelial vasoreactivity in endurance-trained older men

• Published in: Journal of applied physiology (1985) Vol. 87; no. 6; pp. 2136 - 2142
• Main Authors: Rywik, Tomasz M, Blackman, Marc R, Yataco, Alberto R, Vaitkevicius, Peter V, Zink, Richard C, Cottrell, Ernest H, Wright, Jeanette G, Katzel, Leslie I, Fleg, Jerome L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bethesda, MD Am Physiological Soc 01-12-1999; American Physiological Society
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Athletes; Biological and medical sciences; Blood vessels; Blood vessels and receptors; Circulatory system; Endothelium, Vascular - physiology; Exercise; Exercise - physiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Male; Men; Middle Aged; Oxygen Consumption - physiology; Physical Education and Training; Physical Endurance; Reference Values; Regression Analysis; Vasodilation - physiology; Vasomotor System - physiology; Vertebrates: cardiovascular system; Human; Senescence; Vasomotricity; Physical training; Reactivity; Blood vessel; Endurance; Circulatory system; Athlete; Endothelium
• ISSN: 8750-7587; 1522-1601
• DOI: 10.1152/jappl.1999.87.6.2136

1  Laboratory of Cardiovascular Science,
Gerontology Research Center, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore,
Maryland 21224; 2  II Department of Valvular Heart
Disease, Institute of Cardiology, Warsaw, Poland;
3  Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins
University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205; and
4  Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Baltimore,
Maryland 21201
Using external vascular
ultrasound, we measured brachial artery diameter (Diam) at rest, after
release of 4 min of limb ischemia, i.e., endothelium-dependent dilation
(EDD), and after sublingual nitroglycerin, i.e.,
non-endothelium-dependent dilation (NonEDD), in 35 healthy men aged
61-83 yr: 12 endurance athletes (A) and 23 controls (C). As
anticipated, treadmill exercise maximal oxygen consumption
( O 2 max ) was
significantly higher in A than in C (40.2 ± 6.6 vs. 27.9 ± 3.8
ml · kg 1 · min 1 ;
respectively, P  < 0.0001). With regard to arterial
physiology, A had greater EDD (8.9 ± 4.2 vs. 5.7 ± 3.5%;
P  = 0.02) and a tendency for higher NonEDD (13.9 ± 6.7
vs. 9.7 ± 4.2%; P  = 0.07) compared with C. By multiple
linear regression analysis in the combined sample of older men, only
baseline Diam (  =  2.0, where  is the regression coefficient;
P  = 0.005) and
O 2 max (  = 0.23; P  = 0.003) were independent predictors of EDD; similarly,
only Diam (  =  4.0; P  = 0.003) and
O 2 max (  = 0.27;
P  = 0.01) predicted NonEDD. Thus endurance-trained older men
demonstrate both augmented EDD and NonEDD, consistent with a
generalized enhanced vasodilator responsiveness, compared with their
sedentary age peers.
endothelial function; exercise; training