EFFECTS OF ACUTE HIGH-INTENSITY EXERCISE ON VASCULAR HEALTH IN NORMAL WEIGHT AND OBESE ADULTS

Jaysa Ladeira Ramos

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a public health concern linked to higher cardiovascular risk, partly mediated by vascular dysfunction and arterial stiffness. Acute high-intensity aerobic exercise (HIE) may improve vascular health, but evidence is inconclusive, particularly among individuals with obesity. While passive leg movement (PLM) reliably assesses vascular function in healthy adults, it has not been used to compare post-exercise responses between normal-weight and obese individuals, highlighting an important gap in literature. PURPOSE: To assess the effects of a single HIE session on vascular health in adults with normal weight and obesity. METHODS: Twenty adults (28±7 yr) participated, including 12 normal-weight (11 women, 1 man; 30 ± 9 years; BMI 22.4 ± 1.6 kg/m²) and 08 participants with obesity (4 women, 4 men; 33 ± 6 years; BMI 35.5 ± 4.7 kg/m²). Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) was assessed with a maximal incremental test on a cycle ergometer and peak heart rate (HRpeak) was determined. Vascular health assessments included brachial blood pressure (BP), large artery stiffness (pulse wave velocity, PWV), and leg muscle microvascular function, assessed as leg blood flow and leg vascular conductance responses to PLM normalized to thigh volume. Baseline vascular measurements were obtained before a 30-min cycling session with 10 x 1-min high-intensity intervals (~85–90% HRmax), 1-min active recovery periods, and 5-min warm-up and cool-down. Post-exercise measurements of blood pressure, arterial stiffness and vascular function were taken 30 min, 1 hr, and 2 hr after exercise. RESULTS: Across all time points (baseline, 30 min, 60 min, and 120 min post-exercise), both groups demonstrated a similar pattern of PWV reduction. PWV was significantly lower at 60 min compared with baseline in both groups (p < 0.02). A between-group difference was observed only at 120 min, with lower PWV values in the NW group than in the OB group (p = 0.04). Vascular function assessed by PLM was not altered by exercise, however, baseline blood flow was affected following HIE. There was no observed post exercise hypotension (PEH) at all time points post-exercise compared to pre-exercise. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that a single bout of high-intensity interval cycling may transiently improve arterial stiffness in both normal-weight and obese adults, supporting its potential role in promoting acute vascular health. In contrast, microvascular function and blood pressure remained unchanged following exercise.

EFFECTS OF ACUTE HIGH-INTENSITY EXERCISE ON VASCULAR HEALTH IN NORMAL WEIGHT AND OBESE ADULTS

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