Sex differences in ventricular-vascular coupling following endurance training

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Physiology
• Exercise Science
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Ventricular and vascular coupling (VVC) is the ratio of arterial elastance (Ea) to ventricular elastance (Elv), reflecting heart-artery interaction.
• Sex differences exist in cardiovascular responses to exercise and training.
• Understanding these sex-specific adaptations is crucial for personalized exercise prescriptions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of 8-week aerobic exercise training on VVC, Ea, and Elv in young adult men and women.
• To test the hypothesis that aerobic training reduces VVC, with greater changes in Ea and Elv in men and women, respectively.

Main Methods:

• Fifty-three healthy young adults underwent an 8-week aerobic training program.
• Central pulse wave velocity and heart volumes were measured pre- and post-intervention.
• Elastances (Ea and Elv) were calculated and indexed to body surface area.

Main Results:

• Women significantly increased indexed Elv and decreased their VVC ratio post-training (p < 0.05).
• Men did not show a significant change in their VVC ratio.
• Both sexes demonstrated reduced central pulse wave velocity, indicating improved arterial stiffness.

Conclusions:

• Aerobic exercise training leads to sex-dependent changes in VVC in young adults.
• The reduction in VVC observed in women was primarily driven by increased ventricular elastance (Elv).
• These findings highlight distinct cardiovascular adaptations to aerobic training between sexes.