Lifelong exercise of four to five sessions per week is associated with reduced central arterial stiffness and younger biological aortic age in seniors compared to a sedentary lifestyle.
Cross-Sectional (n=102)
Does lifelong exercise frequency reduce arterial stiffness in seniors?
Four to five weekly exercise sessions over a lifetime are necessary to preserve youthful central arterial compliance, whereas two to three sessions may suffice for middle-sized arteries.
KEY POINTS: of committed exercise over a lifetime are necessary to preserve 'youthful' vascular compliance, especially of the large central arteries. Casual exercise training of two to three times per week may be sufficient for middle-sized arteries like the carotid to minimize arterial stiffening with ageing. However, there is little effect of exercise training on the small-sized peripheral arteries at any dose. ABSTRACT: Central arterial stiffness increases with sedentary ageing. While near-daily, vigorous lifelong (>25 years) endurance exercise training prevents arterial stiffening with ageing, this rigorous routine of exercise training over a lifetime is impractical for most individuals. The aim was to examine whether a less frequent 'dose' of lifelong exercise training (four to five sessions per week for > 30 min) that is consistent with current physical activity recommendations elicits similar benefits on central arterial stiffening with ageing. A cross-sectional examination of 102 seniors (>60 years old) who had a consistent lifelong exercise history was performed. Subjects were stratified into four groups based on exercise frequency as an index of exercise 'dose': sedentary: fewer than two sessions per week; casual exercisers: two to three sessions per week; committed exercisers: four to five sessions per week; and Masters athletes: six to seven sessions per week plus regular competitions. Detailed measurements of arterial stiffness and left ventricular afterload were collected. Biological aortic age and central pulse wave velocity were younger in committed exercisers and Masters athletes compared to sedentary seniors. Total arterial compliance index (TACi) was lower, while carotid β-stiffness index and effective arterial elastance were higher in sedentary seniors compared to the other groups. There appeared to be a dose-response threshold for carotid β-stiffness index and TACi. Peripheral arterial stiffness was not significantly different among the groups. These data suggest that four to five weekly exercise sessions over a lifetime is associated with reduced central arterial stiffness in the elderly. A less frequent dose of lifelong exercise (two to three sessions per week) is associated with decreased ventricular afterload and peripheral resistance, while peripheral arterial stiffness is unaffected by any dose of exercise.
Shibata et al. (Sun,) conducted a cross-sectional in Arterial stiffening with ageing (n=102). Lifelong exercise frequency (4-5 sessions per week) vs. Sedentary lifestyle (<2 sessions per week) was evaluated on Central arterial stiffness and left ventricular afterload. Lifelong exercise of four to five sessions per week is associated with reduced central arterial stiffness and younger biological aortic age in seniors compared to a sedentary lifestyle.