De-Stiffening the Aged Aorta with Regular Aerobic Exercise in Humans: Fact or Fallacy?

Figures

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  Fig. 1.. Summary of four short-term aerobic exercise interventions 3–12 months, 2–3 days/week on carotid-femoral PWV (aortic stiffness) among older adults without hypertension [27–30].

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  Fig. 2.. Effects of 8 weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT), moderate-intensity isocaloric continuous training (MICT) at 70% peak heart rate, or control (CON) in a randomized, controlled intervention study in older adults on carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV). HIIT protocol was 4 × 4 at 90% peak heart rate, 3 × 3 active recovery at 70% peak heart rate. HIIT resulted in a 12% increase in VO2peak compared with no change in MICT or control. There were no changes in blood pressure in either MICT or HIIT groups. Caloric expenditure matched between MICT versus HIIT groups. MICT resulted in a small but significant decrease in carotid-femoral PWV, whereas HIIT and CON resulted in no change in carotid-femoral PWV after 8 weeks [40].

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  Fig. 3.. Theoretical trajectory based on the summary of regular aerobic/endurance exercise studies of the age-related increase in aortic stiffness through middle age and older age in the absence of hypertension (“normal BP”) or with hypertension. Dotted lines indicate the theoretical trajectory of aortic stiffness change when aerobic exercise intervention is initiated at middle age (between 50 and 60 years of age) or older age (>65 years of age) versus not initiating exercise (solid lines).