Modulation of arterial stiffness with intensive competitive training.
BACKGROUND
Aerobic exercise training has been associated with beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system, improving arterial compliance, possibly related to a positive impact on the endothelium. The effects of competitive aerobic exercise are not so well documented. This prompted us to evaluate the possible modulation of arterial properties in a group of athletes and their response to the aging process.


METHODS
423 healthy males were enrolled in a cross-sectional study, 212 of whom were competitive athletes and 211 were controls. All underwent carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) evaluation, and casual blood pressure and other relevant anthropometric data were evaluated.


RESULTS
To control the effects of age, each group was divided into two subgroups with an age cut-point of 20 years. PWV was 6.3 +/- 0.9 m/s (athletes) vs. 7.0 +/- 1.0 m/s (controls) for ages <20 years, and 7.6 +/- 1.2 m/s (athletes) vs. 8.1 +/- 0.9 m/s (controls) for ages >20 years, with statistically significant differences in both comparisons. A linear regression model with logarithmic tendency analysis with age as the independent determinant of PWV revealed a different progression of age-related deterioration of aortic compliance between the two groups (athletes and controls).


CONCLUSIONS
Our data documented better compliance indices in competition athletes compared with controls, which may reflect optimization of endothelial function. This improvement was age-dependent, being less pronounced as the athletes grow older, which could be due partially to sustained stretching effects on the arterial walls in long-term competitors.
Maldonado
João
J
Instituto de Investigação e Formaçõ Cardiovascular, Penacova, Portugal. instituto@iifc.pt
Pereira
Telmo
T
Polónia
Jorge
J
Martins
Luís
L
D000328:Adult; D001158:Arteries / Q000502:physiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004548:Elasticity; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013177:Sports / Q000502:physiology*