Acute Exercise and Microvascular Function

Influence of Acute Exhausting Exercise on Microvascular Reactivity in Healthy Sedentary Subjects and Athletes

It is well recognized that chronic exercise protects against the development of cardiovascular diseases. However, the responses of vasculature to acute exercise (AE) are not well known and not consistent in literature. Acute exertional exercise can induce large, transient increases in arterial pressure and development of metabolic acidosis which can be associated with pro-inflammatory response involving oxidant stress and circulating cytokines known to impair endothelial function.

The aim of this study is to test the impact of a single exposure to exhausting training on microvascular reactivity in healthy sedentary subjects and athletes.

Inclusion Criteria:

• healthy volunteers
• active athletes
• lean sedentary subjects

Exclusion Criteria:

• drugs that could affect the endothelium
• overweight
• hypertension
• coronary artery disease
• diabetes
• hyperlipidaemia
• renal impairment
• cerebrovascular and peripheral artery disease