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Modulating Effect of Physical Activity Level on Flow‐Mediated Dilation in Late Pre‐ and Early Post‐Menopausal Women
Author(s) -
Debray Amélie,
Enea Carina,
Ravanelli Nicholas,
Bherer Louis,
Bosquet Laurent,
Gag Daniel
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.2021.35.s1.02147
Subject(s) - brachial artery , medicine , menopause , physical activity , cardiology , estrogen , blood pressure , physical therapy
BACKGROUND Following menopause, hormonal changes including the cessation of estrogen production by the ovaries accelerate the age‐related decline in endothelial function, as measured by brachial artery flow‐mediated dilation (FMD). In turn, it predisposes post‐menopausal women to a greater risk of hypertension. Physical activity is considered the most effective strategy to maintain endothelial function with ageing. For older men, research has demonstrated a positive influence of physical activity on brachial artery FMD. However, in older women, the benefits of physical activity on brachial artery FMD are less conclusive, especially during the transition from pre‐ to post‐menopause. This study tested the hypotheses that: 1) physically active early post‐menopausal women exhibit preserved brachial artery FMD relative to active late pre‐menopausal women, and; 2) a positive correlation exists between physical activity level and brachial artery FMD within these groups of women. METHODS Nine pre‐ (48 ± 2 years) and ten post‐ (53 ± 2 years) menopausal, healthy and physically active women were recruited. Blood pressure (24‐hour ambulatory monitoring), physical activity levels (7‐day accelerometry), and endothelial function (brachial artery FMD) were compared between groups with unpaired t‐tests. Correlation analysis was used to evaluate potential relationships between brachial artery FMD and physical activity levels. RESULTS Total physical activity (pre: 4322 ± 1661 vs. post: 3352 ± 859 min/week, P=0.14) and moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity (pre: 608 ± 326 vs. post: 526 ± 265 min/week, P=0.55) did not differ between groups. Brachial artery FMD also did not differ between late pre‐ (3.99 ± 2.23%, P=0.69) and early post‐ (4.52 ± 3.14%) menopausal women. Nonetheless, post‐menopausal women tended to have greater 24‐hour systolic blood pressure (121 ± 8 vs. 114 ± 7 mmHg, P=0.06). No correlation was observed between brachial artery FMD and total physical activity level (P=0.26). In contrast, a negative correlation was observed between brachial artery FMD and moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity level (r=‐0.499, P=0.04). CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that greater levels of moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity levels are associated with lower brachial artery FMD values in late pre‐ and early post‐menopausal women. These results also suggest that early post‐menopausal women demonstrate greater systolic blood pressure relative to late pre‐menopausal women, despite being equally physically active and exhibiting a preserved brachial artery FMD.