Greater arterial wall viscosity in endurance-trained men

• Published in: European journal of applied physiology Vol. 121; no. 8; pp. 2219 - 2228
• Main Authors: Kawano, Hiroshi, Asaka, Meiko, Yamamoto, Kenta, Gando, Yuko, Konishi, Masayuki, Sakamoto, Shizuo, Miyachi, Motohiko, Higuchi, Mitsuru
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.08.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aerobics; Age; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cardiorespiratory fitness; Carotid artery; Compliance; Human Physiology; Occupational Medicine/Industrial Medicine; Original Article; Sports Medicine; Viscosity; Arterial compliance; Endurance training; Arterial stiffness; Arterial viscoelasticity
• ISSN: 1439-6319; 1439-6327
• DOI: 10.1007/s00421-021-04686-5

Purpose The age-associated increase in arterial wall viscosity (AWV) is attenuated by high cardiorespiratory fitness level. However, AWV in endurance-trained athletes have not been determined. We designed a cross sectional study to compare central AWV and compliance between endurance-trained young athletes and age-matched control men. Methods Twenty-one endurance-trained men (age 20.7 ± 0.3 years) and 20 age-matched healthy control men (age 21.6 ± 0.4 years) were studied. The common carotid artery was measured noninvasively by tonometry and automatic tracking of B-mode images to obtain instantaneous pressure and diameter hysteresis loops, and we calculated the dynamic carotid arterial compliance, static (effective and isobaric) compliance, and viscosity index. Results The AWV index in the endurance-trained men was larger than the control peers (2285 ± 181 vs. 1429 ± 124 mmHg·s/mm: P  < 0.001). In addition, dynamic and static compliance were not statistically different between both groups. Conclusion The present study indicated that the central AWV in endurance-trained athletes was greater than age-matched healthy control men. We believe that the AWV, as well as arterial compliance, is an important element for assessing vascular adaptation to endurance training.