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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 289/4/H1627    most recent 00135.2005v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (2) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Hägg, U. Articles by Gan, L.-m. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Hägg, U. Articles by Gan, L.-m.

Physical exercise capacity is associated with coronary and peripheral vascular function in healthy young adults

¹Institute of Physiology and Pharmacology and ²Department of Clinical Physiology, Cardiovascular Institute, Sahlgrenska Academy, Göteborg University, Göteborg, Sweden

Submitted 10 February 2005 ; accepted in final form 2 June 2005

Short-term exercise training has been shown to improve cardiovascular function, whereas long-term effects of a physically active lifestyle, on coronary artery function in particular, are still not well studied. We explored possible relationships between physical exercise capacity and coronary and peripheral vascular function in healthy young adults. Twenty-nine healthy young male and female volunteers participated in the study. They underwent 1) basic clinical and echocardiographic characterization, 2) coronary flow velocity reserve (CFVR) measurement of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD), 3) common carotid artery (CCA) intima-media thickness (IMT) measurement, 4) assessment of CCA stiffness index (SI), 5) forearm flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD), and 6) submaximal exercise test. The calculated weight-adjusted maximal oxygen uptake capacity (O_{2 maxc}) was positively correlated to LAD CFVR and inversely correlated to IMT and SI. Also, subjects with high compared with moderate exercise capacity had higher FMD. In addition, subjects with LAD CFVR in the upper median had greater ratios between endothelium-dependent and -independent vasodilation in the forearm and lower SI in CCA. High exercise capacity due to a physically active lifestyle is associated with high coronary and peripheral artery function, indicating an early protective role of physical exercise for cardiovascular health.

coronary flow velocity reserve; stiffness; endothelial function; intima-media thickness; Doppler echocardiography