title: Vascular and metabolic effects of 12 days intensive walking to Santiago de Compostela.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Physical exercise has multiple beneficial health effects. Yearly, over five million persons walk a pilgrimage in various parts of the World, and this number is increasing. Here we report the effects on vascular function and cardiovascular risk factors of a 12-day pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-nine healthy male and female subjects between 40 and 70 years were included in the intervention group. The intervention consisted of the last 280 km of the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela. Twenty-nine control subjects were age- and gender-matched. Measures of endothelial function, vascular stiffness, autonomic function, and cardiovascular risk factors were measured 2 months and 2 weeks before the pilgrimage and 2 weeks and 2 months afterwards. During the pilgrimage cardiovascular risk factors, including weight, lipids, glucose and blood pressure were measured every other day.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean daily walking distance during the pilgrimage was 23.42±0.80 km taking 5.39±0.36 h/day. From start to end, HDL-cholesterol increased (0.20±0.30 mmol/L; +15%), while LDL-cholesterol (-0.6±0.6 mmol/L; -17%) and weight (-1.4±1.8 kg; -2%) decreased. After an initial rise, blood pressure came back to baseline. Two months after the pilgrimage a 2.0 kg weight loss persisted compared to the controls. There was no change in any vascular function parameter compared to the controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Walking a pilgrimage immediately influences major cardiovascular risk factors as a consequence of (strenuous) exercise and, likely, dietary changes. Two months after the pilgrimage these changes came back to baseline, except for weight loss. There was no effect on vascular function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht, F.02.126, PO Box 85500, 3508 GA Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Remy H H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Bemelmans
authors.forename: Blai
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Coll
authors.forename: Daniel R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Faber
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Westerink
authors.forename: Paulus P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Blommaert
authors.forename: Wilko
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Spiering
authors.forename: Frank L J
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Visseren
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000886:Anthropometry / Q000379:methods; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002319:Cardiovascular System / Q000378:metabolism*; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D013030:Spain; D016138:Walking