Arterial Stiffness and Cardiorespiratory Fitness Impairment in the Community

Matthew Nayor, Priya Gajjar, Patricia Miller, Venkatesh L. Murthy, Ravi V. Shah, Nicholas E. Houstis, Raghava S. Velagaleti, Martin G. Larson, Ramachandran S. Vasan, Gregory D. Lewis, Gary F. Mitchell

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

BACKGROUND: During exercise, a healthy arterial system facilitates increased blood flow and distributes it effectively to essential organs. Accordingly, we sought to understand how arterial stiffening might impair cardiorespiratory fitness in communitydwelling individuals. METHODS AND RESULTS: Arterial tonometry and maximum effort cardiopulmonary exercise testing were performed on Framingham Heart Study participants (N=2898, age 54±9 years, 53% women, body mass index 28.1±5.3 kg/m2). We related 5 arterial stiffness measures (carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity [CFPWV]: a measure of aortic wall stiffness; central pulse pressure, forward wave amplitude, characteristic impedance: measures of pressure pulsatility; and augmentation index: a measure of relative wave reflection) to multidimensional exercise responses using linear models adjusted for age, sex, resting heart rate, habitual physical activity, and clinical risk factors. Greater CFPWV, augmentation index, and characteristic impedance were associated with lower peak oxygen uptake (VO2; all P<0.0001). We observed consistency of associations of CFPWV with peak oxygen uptake across age, sex, and cardiovascular risk profile (interaction P>0.05). However, the CFPWV-peak oxygen uptake relation was attenuated in individuals with obesity (P=0.002 for obesity*CFPWV interaction). Higher CPFWV, augmentation index, and characteristic impedance were also related to cardiopulmonary exercise testing measures reflecting adverse O2 kinetics and lower stroke volume and peripheral O2 extraction but not to ventilatory efficiency, a prognostic measure of right ventricular-pulmonary vascular performance. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings delineate relations of arterial stiffness and cardiorespiratory fitness in community-dwelling individuals. Future studies are warranted to evaluate whether the physiological measures implicated here may represent potential targets for improving cardiorespiratory fitness in the general population.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article numbere029619
JournalJournal of the American Heart Association
Volume12
Issue number21
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2023
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • arterial stiffness
  • exercise
  • fitness

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine

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