title: Favorable effect of aerobic exercise on arterial pressure and aortic pulse wave velocity during stress testing.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Increased central pulse wave velocity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The favorable influence of exercise on arterial stiffness (AS) and blood pressure (BP) has been reported exclusively at rest. The present study investigated the influence of a single bout of acute cycling on AS and BP during recovery and, moreover, during cold pressor stress testing.
  
  
  METHODS
  32 healthy men (33.7 ± 8 years, BMI 24 ± 2.5 kg/m²) performed a 60 minute endurance exercise on a bicycle ergometer (45 % VO2max). Before and after exercise aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV) as well as central and peripheral BP were measured non-invasively at rest and at the end of a 2 minute cold pressor test (CPT).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Even after 60 minutes of recovery aPWV (- 0.22 ± 0.3 m / sec) was significantly reduced (p < 0.01). Exercise decreased peripheral (- 8 ± 7 mmHg) and central (- 7 ± 8 mmHg) systolic BP as well as peripheral (- 3 ± 5 mmHg) and central (- 4 ± 7 mmHg) diastolic BP (p < 0.01). In comparison to measurements during CPT pre-exercise, there was a significant reduction in aPWV (- 0.19 ± 0.3 m / sec), peripheral (- 6 ± 10 mmHg) and central (- 5 ± 8 mmHg) systolic BP as well as peripheral (- 3 ± 6 mmHg) and central (- 3 ± 6 mmHg) diastolic BP during CPT after exercise (p < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study suggests that acute endurance exercise leads not only to decreased BP but even more reduces aPWV as a measure of AS even after 60 minutes of recovery. In particular, the investigation provides evidence that acute moderate-intensity exercise has a favorable effect on BP and aPWV during stress testing.
authors: 1 Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin.
authors: Florian
authors: F
authors: Milatz
authors: Sascha
authors: S
authors: Ketelhut
authors: Sascha
authors: S
authors: Ketelhut
authors: Reinhard G
authors: RG
authors: Ketelhut
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001011:Aorta / Q000502:physiology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000379:methods*; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D063177:Pulse Wave Analysis; D059289:Vascular Stiffness / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Arterial stiffness; aortic pulse wave velocity; blood pressure; cold pressor test; endurance exercise