Why isn't flow-mediated dilation enhanced in athletes?

Purpose: Studies performed in animals and humans strongly suggest that exercise training and physical activity enhance arterial endothelial function. Studies of athletes have, however, been less definitive. Methods: We recruited a range of Olympic and world class athletes who participate in upper or...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Green, D., Rowley, N., Spence, Angela
Format: Journal Article
Published: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 2013
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/16840
_version_ 1848749292335923200
author Green, D.
Rowley, N.
Spence, Angela
author_facet Green, D.
Rowley, N.
Spence, Angela
author_sort Green, D.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Purpose: Studies performed in animals and humans strongly suggest that exercise training and physical activity enhance arterial endothelial function. Studies of athletes have, however, been less definitive. Methods: We recruited a range of Olympic and world class athletes who participate in upper or lower limb predominant activities and examined brachial and superficial femoral artery diameter responses to 5-min ischemia (flow-mediated dilation [FMD]) and glyceryl trinitrate, wall thickness (WT) and wall-to-lumen ratio using Doppler and two-dimensional ultrasound. Subjects were elite male canoe paddlers (n = 12), squash players (n = 13), lower limb dominant athletes (i.e., runners/cyclists/triathletes, n = 13), or age- and sex-matched control subjects (n = 16). Results: Athletes demonstrated lower superficial femoral artery FMD than controls (P < 0.05), whereas in the brachial artery, a lower FMD was found in squash players (P < 0.05). Both arteries showed a significant inverse correlation between diameter and FMD (P < 0.05), and a significant inverse relationship was apparent between wall-to-lumen ratio and FMD in the superficial femoral artery (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Although artery FMD was lower in athletes, artery size was larger and WT smaller than controls. The apparent reduction in artery FMD may relate to the profound structural remodeling in the diameter and WT of the conduit arteries of athletes. These findings have implications for the interpretation of FMD data, particularly as it pertains to the effect of athletic endeavor on cardiovascular health.
first_indexed 2025-11-14T07:18:37Z
format Journal Article
id curtin-20.500.11937-16840
institution Curtin University Malaysia
institution_category Local University
last_indexed 2025-11-14T07:18:37Z
publishDate 2013
publisher Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling curtin-20.500.11937-168402017-09-13T15:44:34Z Why isn't flow-mediated dilation enhanced in athletes? Green, D. Rowley, N. Spence, Angela Purpose: Studies performed in animals and humans strongly suggest that exercise training and physical activity enhance arterial endothelial function. Studies of athletes have, however, been less definitive. Methods: We recruited a range of Olympic and world class athletes who participate in upper or lower limb predominant activities and examined brachial and superficial femoral artery diameter responses to 5-min ischemia (flow-mediated dilation [FMD]) and glyceryl trinitrate, wall thickness (WT) and wall-to-lumen ratio using Doppler and two-dimensional ultrasound. Subjects were elite male canoe paddlers (n = 12), squash players (n = 13), lower limb dominant athletes (i.e., runners/cyclists/triathletes, n = 13), or age- and sex-matched control subjects (n = 16). Results: Athletes demonstrated lower superficial femoral artery FMD than controls (P < 0.05), whereas in the brachial artery, a lower FMD was found in squash players (P < 0.05). Both arteries showed a significant inverse correlation between diameter and FMD (P < 0.05), and a significant inverse relationship was apparent between wall-to-lumen ratio and FMD in the superficial femoral artery (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Although artery FMD was lower in athletes, artery size was larger and WT smaller than controls. The apparent reduction in artery FMD may relate to the profound structural remodeling in the diameter and WT of the conduit arteries of athletes. These findings have implications for the interpretation of FMD data, particularly as it pertains to the effect of athletic endeavor on cardiovascular health. 2013 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/16840 10.1249/MSS.0b013e318269affe Lippincott Williams & Wilkins unknown
spellingShingle Green, D.
Rowley, N.
Spence, Angela
Why isn't flow-mediated dilation enhanced in athletes?
title Why isn't flow-mediated dilation enhanced in athletes?
title_full Why isn't flow-mediated dilation enhanced in athletes?
title_fullStr Why isn't flow-mediated dilation enhanced in athletes?
title_full_unstemmed Why isn't flow-mediated dilation enhanced in athletes?
title_short Why isn't flow-mediated dilation enhanced in athletes?
title_sort why isn't flow-mediated dilation enhanced in athletes?
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/16840