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The Sex‐Specific Impact of Aging on the Blood Pressure Response to Exercise
Author(s) -
Trinity Joel Douglas,
Layec Gwenael,
Hart Corey R,
Richardson Russell S
Publication year - 2017
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.31.1_supplement.1012.7
Subject(s) - medicine , hemodynamics , blood pressure , cardiology , stroke volume , blood flow , young adult , heart rate
An exaggerated increase in blood pressure (BP) during exercise has been linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD) and may precede the onset of overt CVD. Importantly, the prevalence of CVD is not evenly distributed between men and women across the lifespan and the impact of age and sex on the BP response to exercise remains unclear. Therefore, utilizing an integrative approach, this study examined central and peripheral hemodynamic responses and skeletal muscle metabolic responses to moderate intensity leg exercise in 40 activity‐matched young (n=20, 23±1 yr) and old (n=20, 73±2 yr) subjects. Central hemodynamics (finometer), popliteal artery blood flow (Doppler ultrasound), and skeletal muscle metabolic parameters (phosphorous magnetic resonance spectroscopy, 31 P‐MRS) were measured during 5 min of submaximal dynamic plantar flexion exercise. Exaggerated exercise‐induced increases in systolic BP (SBP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were evident only in the old women (SBP: Δ47±6 mmHg, MAP: Δ30±4 mmHg) as all other groups exhibited similar increases in SBP (old men: Δ27±8; young men: Δ25±4; young women: Δ22±3 mmHg) and MAP (old men: Δ16±5; young men: Δ22±4; young women: Δ17±2 mmHg). Furthermore, unlike the young women, the old women failed to exhibit a reduction total peripheral resistance during exercise (young women: Δ −2.8±0.5, old women: Δ 1.0±1.0 mmHg/L/min, p < 0.05). Aging, independent of sex, was associated with attenuated central hemodynamic changes in stroke volume and cardiac output, while popliteal blood flow, O 2 delivery, and high energy phosphate levels were similar between young and old. In conclusion, the combination of aging and the female sex results in an exaggerated BP response to exercise, likely a result of sustained elevations in total peripheral resistance during dynamic exercise. Support or Funding Information This project was supported by the American Heart Association (14SDG1850039) and the VA office of Research and Development (1IK2RX001215, E1433‐P, E1697‐R).