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Ultrasound Assessment of Endothelial-Dependent Flow-Mediated Vasodilation of the Brachial Artery in Clinical Research
Published on: October 22, 2014
Arterial distensibility and physical activity in the ARIC study
K H Schmitz1, D K Arnett, A Bank
1Division of Epidemiology, University of Minnesota, 1300 South 2nd St., Minneapolis, MN 55454, USA. schmitz@epi.umn.edu
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
|December 12, 2001
Summary
Physical activity, particularly vigorous sports, showed a weak association with arterial distensibility in older adults. However, the study did not find strong evidence that habitual physical activity consistently improves arterial health.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Physiology
- Aging Research
- Preventive Cardiology
Background:
- Arterial distensibility naturally declines with age.
- Reduced arterial distensibility is linked to hypertension and atherosclerosis.
- Lifestyle factors, including physical activity, may influence arterial health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between physical activity (sport, leisure, work) and arterial distensibility.
- To determine if habitual physical activity can attenuate age-related decline in arterial distensibility.
- To examine carotid artery pulsatile diameter changes as a measure of arterial distensibility.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 10,644 participants (aged 45-64) in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study.
- Assessed left common carotid arterial diameters and intimal-medial thickness (IMT) via B-mode ultrasound.
- Employed ANCOVA models to analyze associations between physical activity and arterial distensibility, adjusting for multiple covariates.
Main Results:
- Work activity showed a weak association with greater arterial distensibility (P=0.03).
- Vigorous sports activity was weakly positively associated with arterial distensibility (P=0.02), independent of IMT, BMI, lipids, and diabetes.
- Findings for vigorous activity were consistent with traditional arterial stiffness indices, unlike work activity.
Conclusions:
- The study's findings do not strongly support the hypothesis that habitual physical activity consistently enhances arterial distensibility.
- Results contrast with some smaller studies suggesting a more robust effect of physical activity on arterial health.
- Further research may be needed to clarify the nuanced relationship between different types of physical activity and arterial aging.
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