Carotid artery wall mechanics in young males with high cardiorespiratory fitness

View/ open
Author
Pugh, Christopher J. A.
Stone, Keeron J.
Stöhr, Eric J.
McDonnell, Barry
Thompson, Jane. E.S
Talbot, Jack
Wakeham, Denis
Cockcroft, John R.
Shave, Rob
Date
2018-06-29Acceptance date
2018-06-28
Type
Article
Publisher
Wiley
ISSN
0958-0670
1469-445X
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The influence of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) on arterial stiffness in young adults remains equivocal. Beyond conventional measures of arterial stiffness, 2D strain imaging of the common carotid artery (CCA) provides novel information related to the intrinsic properties of the arterial wall. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the effect of CRF on both conventional indices of CCA stiffness and 2D strain parameters, at rest and following a bout of aerobic exercise in young healthy males. Short‐axis ultrasound images of the CCA were recorded in 34 healthy men [22 years (95%CI, 19–22)] before, and immediately after 5‐minutes of aerobic exercise (40% VO2max). Images were analysed for arterial diameter, peak circumferential strain (PCS), and peak systolic and diastolic strain rates (S‐SR, D‐SR). Heart rate (HR), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP) were simultaneously assessed and Petersons' elastic modulus (Ep) and Beta stiffness (β1) were calculated. Participants were separated post hoc into moderate and high fitness groups [VO2max: 48.9 ml.kg‐1 min‐1 (95%CI, 44.7–53.2) vs. 65.6 ml.kg‐1 min‐1 (95%CI, 63.1–68.1); P < 0.001]. Ep and β1 were similar between groups at baseline (P > 0.13) but were elevated in the moderate‐fitness group post‐exercise (P < 0.04). PCS and S‐SR were elevated in the high‐fitness group at both time‐points [3.0% (95%CI = 1.2, 4.9); P = 0.002; 0.401/s (95%CI = 0.085, 0.72); P = 0.02, respectively]. No group differences were observed in diameter, HR, SBP, DBP or D‐SR throughout the protocol (P > 0.05). High‐fit individuals exhibit elevated CCA PCS and S‐SR, which may reflect training‐induced adaptations that help to buffer the rise in pulse‐pressure and stroke volume during exercise.
Journal/conference proceeding
Experimental Physiology;
Citation
Pugh, C.J., Stone, K.J., Stöhr, E.J., McDonnell, B.J., Thompson, J.E., Talbot, J.S., Wakeham, D.J., Cockcroft, J. and Shave, R., (2018) 'Carotid artery wall mechanics in young males with high cardiorespiratory fitness', Experimental Physiology.
Description
Article published in Experimental Physiology on 29 June 2018 (online) available at https://doi.org/10.1113/EP087067
Sponsorship
Cardiff Metropolitan University (Grant ID: Cardiff Metropolian (Internal))
Collections
- Sport Research Groups [1084]
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, subject and abstract.
-
The relationship between alcohol consumption and arterial stiffness within a young male population
Waters, David (Cardiff Metropolitan University, 2014)Aim: Moderate alcohol consumption has been suggested to protect against heart disease. Heavy drinking, and binge drinking has been considered to have a detrimental effect upon cardiovascular health. Arterial stiffness ... -
Analysis and collation of an anonymised dataset, exploring the relationship between large artery stiffness and bone mineral density.
Skarratts, Melissa (Cardiff Metropolitan University, 2011)Background- Large artery stiffness and osteoporosis due to low bone mineral density are prevalent mostly amongst the elderly and both increase independently with the aging process. However some studies have demonstrated ... -
How the volume and format of physical activity alters the risk of arterial stiffening in young healthy individuals
Ball, Alexandra (Cardiff Metropolitan University, 2011)Abstract: Evidence suggests that the cardio-protective effects of physical activity may be mediated through beneficial effects on vascular function, in particular arterial stiffening. While the beneficial effects of general ...