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Time-course of vascular adaptations during 8 weeks of exercise training in subjects with type 2 diabetes and middle-aged controls

  • Original Article
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European Journal of Applied Physiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Exercise training in healthy volunteers rapidly improves vascular function, preceding structural remodelling. No study examined the time-course of such adaptations in subjects with a priori endothelial dysfunction.

Methods

We examined brachial artery endothelial and smooth muscle function using flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) administration in 13 type 2 diabetes patients (59 ± 6 years) and 10 healthy subjects (58 ± 7 years) before, during (2-weekly) and after an 8-week training programme. Arterial structure was assessed via peak blood flow and artery diameter.

Results

Training increased peak oxygen uptake (P = 0.03), comparable between groups (P = 0.276). We observed a similar impact of training on brachial artery vasomotor function across the training period in diabetes patients and controls (FMD/GTN-ratio), with a higher FMD/GTN-ratio at 2, 6 and 8 weeks (P = 0.036). Artery diameter, peak blood flow or peak diameter had not changed after training.

Conclusion

Training leads to rapid improvement in brachial artery vascular function in diabetes patients and controls. In contrast to previous observations in healthy young subjects, the increase in function was preserved after 8 weeks of training in middle-aged diabetes patients and controls, suggesting a different time-course in vascular adaptations in subjects with endothelial dysfunction.

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Abbreviations

ANOVA:

Analysis of variance

BMI:

Body mass index

bpm:

Beats per minute

eNOS:

Endothelial nitric oxide synthase

FMD:

Flow-mediated dilation

GTN:

Glyceryl trinitrate

HDL:

High-density lipoprotein

HOMA-IR:

Homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance

HR:

Heart rate

LDL:

Low-density lipoprotein

LSD:

Least significant differences

NO:

Nitric oxide

rpm:

Rotations per minute

RQ:

Respiratory quotient

T2DM:

Type 2 diabetes mellitus

W:

Watt

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Acknowledgments

DHJT is financially supported by the Dutch Heart Foundation (E Dekker stipend, 2009T064) and Actelion BV (2009-46 Actelion Endothelin Research Award). DJG is supported by the National Heart Foundation of Australia.

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None.

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Correspondence to Tim H. A. Schreuder.

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Communicated by Fabio Fischetti.

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Schreuder, T.H.A., Green, D.J., Nyakayiru, J. et al. Time-course of vascular adaptations during 8 weeks of exercise training in subjects with type 2 diabetes and middle-aged controls. Eur J Appl Physiol 115, 187–196 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-014-3006-7

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