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Examining sex differences in sitting-induced microvascular dysfunction: Insight from acute vitamin C supplementation
Kevin P Decker1, Patrick G Feliciano1, Morgan T Kimmel1
1Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
Microvascular Research
|February 21, 2021
Summary
Prolonged sitting impairs leg microvascular function in both young males and females. Vitamin C supplementation protected males but not females, who showed high variability in response.
Area of Science:
- Physiology
- Vascular Biology
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Prolonged sitting (PS) can lead to lower limb microvascular dysfunction, affecting both sexes.
- While antioxidants may protect against vascular dysfunction in males, their effect on microvasculature in females is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate sex differences in leg microvascular function (LMVF) following prolonged sitting.
- To determine if acute vitamin C (VC) supplementation mitigates PS-induced LMVF changes in young males and females.
Main Methods:
- 14 females and 12 males underwent LMVF assessment before and after 1.5 hours of sitting.
- Participants consumed either 1g of vitamin C (VC) or a placebo (PL) prior to testing on separate visits.
Main Results:
- PS reduced LMVF similarly in males and females under placebo conditions.
- VC supplementation blunted LMVF reduction in males but not in females.
- Females exhibited significant variability in LMVF response to VC, unrelated to venous pooling or arterial shear rate.
Conclusions:
- Leg microvascular function is reduced by prolonged sitting, independent of sex.
- Vitamin C supplementation preserves LMVF in young males after prolonged sitting, but not in young females.
- Young females display unpredictable LMVF responses to vitamin C following prolonged sitting.
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