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Short-term exercise training improves aerobic capacity with no change in arterial function in obesity

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Abstract

The aim of the study is to determine the effects of short-term high-intensity exercise on arterial function and glucose tolerance in obese individuals with and without the metabolic syndrome (MetSyn). Obese men and women (BMI > 30 kg/m2; 39–60 years) with and without MetSyn (MetSyn, n = 13; Non-MetSyn, n = 13) participated in exercise training consisting of ten consecutive days of treadmill walking for 1 h/day at 70–75% of peak aerobic capacity. Changes in aerobic capacity, flow-mediated dilation (FMD), and arterial stiffness using central and peripheral pulse wave velocity (PWV) measurements were assessed pre- and post-training. These measurements were obtained fasting and 1-h post-test meal while the subjects were hyperglycemic. Aerobic capacity improved for both groups [Non-MetSyn 24.0 ± 1.6 vs. 25.1 ± 1.5 mL/(kg min); MetSyn 25.2 ± 1.8 vs. 26.2 ± 1.7 mL/(kg min), P < 0.05]. There was no change in body weight. FMD decreased by ~20% (P < 0.05) for both groups during acute hyperglycemia (MetSyn, n = 11; Non-MetSyn, n = 10), while hyperglycemia increased central PWV and not peripheral PWV. Exercise training did not change FMD in the fasted or challenged state. Central and peripheral PWV were not altered with training for either group (MetSyn, n = 13; Non-MetSyn, n = 13). A 10-day high-intensity exercise program in obese individuals improved aerobic capacity and glucose tolerance but no change in arterial function was observed. Acute hyperglycemia had a deleterious effect on arterial function, suggesting that persons with impaired glucose homeostasis may experience more opportunities for attenuated arterial function on a daily basis which could contribute to increased cardiovascular risk.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to extend our gratitude to the graduate students at Syracuse University and SUNY Upstate Medical University who assisted in the data collection for this project. This project was supported in part by NIH-R21 DK063179 (PI-Kanaley), a Sigma Delta Epsilon-Graduate Women in Science Predoctoral Fellowship, a student grant from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine, a Sidney Young graduate student grant, and a Syracuse University School of Education Creative Writing Grant.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Exercise Science Department, Syracuse University, 820 Comstock Ave., Syracuse, NY, 13244, USA

    Tracy Baynard, L. L. Ploutz-Snyder & J. A. Kanaley

  2. Department of Medicine, SUNY Upstate Medical University, 750 E. Adams St., Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA

    R. L. Carhart Jr & R. S. Weinstock

  3. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 800 Irving Ave., Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA

    R. S. Weinstock

  4. Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 906 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana, IL, 61801, USA

    Tracy Baynard

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  1. Tracy Baynard
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Correspondence to Tracy Baynard.

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Baynard, T., Carhart, R.L., Weinstock, R.S. et al. Short-term exercise training improves aerobic capacity with no change in arterial function in obesity. Eur J Appl Physiol 107, 299–308 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-009-1126-2

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