Effect of regular aerobic exercise on cerebrovascular tone in young women

Our objective was to evaluate the effect of regular aerobic exercise on cerebrovascular tone in young women. Color and pulsed Doppler ultrasonography were used to determine the pulsatility index in the ophthalmic artery in 20 normotensive, nonpregnant young women (aged 19 to 26 years) with a regular menstrual cycle on cycle day 5. Blood pressure and heart rate were recorded at each examination. Blood samples were collected from all the subjects to measure serum estradiol levels and serum lipid profiles. Ten of the 20 women (exercise group) have maintained aerobic exercise for 50 min, 3 to 5 days a week, for at least a year. The other 10 women (nonexercise group) never did regular exercise. There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding age, body mass index, mean blood pressure, and heart rate and serum estradiol, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. The pulsatility index value (mean, 1.89; standard deviation, 0.33) of the ophthalmic artery in the exercise group was significantly lower than that (mean, 2.53; standard deviation, 0.26) in the nonexercise group. Regular aerobic exercise in young women significantly decreases the peripheral cerebrovascular tone, and this might be a favorable adaptation for early prevention of cerebrovascular disease, which is common in older women.