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Aerobic exercise performance correlates with post-ischemic flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery in young healthy men

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Abstract

In older healthy men, aerobic exercise capacity is related to postischemic flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery (FMD), but corresponding data in a younger population is not available. In addition, whether submaximal aerobic exercise performance also correlates with this kind of vasomotor reactivity is not known. Therefore, in 15 nonsmoking young healthy men [age 27 (5) years; body mass index: 24 (2) kg/m2; mean (SD)] with different levels of ordinary physical activity, but not performing upper-extremity training, we measured FMD at 1 min after reactive hyperemia, and pulmonary oxygen uptake (V̇O2) at ventilatory anaerobic threshold (V̇O2AT) and at peak effort (peak V̇O2) during an incremental exercise on a treadmill. In our participants, FMD was 9.1 (3.4)%, V̇O2AT was 40.72 (5.92) ml/kg per min, and peak V̇O2 was 52.95 (8.13) ml/kg per min. Using bivariate Pearson’s correlation, and in separate multivariate regression analyses, V̇O2AT and peak VO2 showed a significant and reasonably good correlation with FMD (r=0.84, P<0.001 and r=0.77, P=0.001, respectively), independent of age, body mass index and serum total cholesterol (β=0.77, P<0.001, R2 of the overall model=0.79 and β=0.70, P<0.005, R2 of the overall model=0.69, respectively). Our data provide evidence suggesting that in young healthy men a higher submaximal and maximal aerobic exercise performance is associated with a greater FMD of peripheral conduit arteries.

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Acknowledgements

Dr E. A. Palmieri was supported in part by a grant from the Consorzio Interuniversitario per la Ricerca Cardiovascolare (2003).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departimento di Medicina Clinica e Scienze Cardiovascolari, Università degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II”, Naples, Italy

    Emiliano Antonio Palmieri & Serafino Fazio

  2. Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, Università degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II”, Naples, Italy

    Vittorio Palmieri, Pasquale Innelli, Emma Arezzi, Liberato Aldo Ferrara & Aldo Celentano

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  1. Emiliano Antonio Palmieri
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  2. Vittorio Palmieri
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  3. Pasquale Innelli
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  4. Emma Arezzi
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Correspondence to Emiliano Antonio Palmieri.

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Palmieri, E.A., Palmieri, V., Innelli, P. et al. Aerobic exercise performance correlates with post-ischemic flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery in young healthy men. Eur J Appl Physiol 94, 113–117 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-004-1285-0

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