Characterization of the brachial artery shear stress following walking exercise

Habitual exercise provides repeated episodes of elevated vascular shear stress (SS), which may be a mechanism for repair of endothelial dysfunction in disease. Our aim was to determine the brachial artery SS during the 3-hour period following single bouts of low, moderate, and high-intensity walking exercise. In a randomized crossover design, 14 men walked for 45 minutes on a treadmill at 25%, 50% and 75% of VO2peak separated by 2-7 days. Using Doppler ultrasonography, brachial artery SS was assessed immediately after exercise and then hourly for 3 hours. High-intensity walking elicited greater (p < 0.05) post-exercise SS compared with low and moderate intensity. In addition, a 3 x 4 (intensity x time) ANOVA indicated an absence of interaction (p = 0.369) and a decline in post-exercise SS over time (p < 0.0001) which was abolished after 2 hours. Thus, we found that brachial artery SS is greatest following high-intensity walking and that the rate of decline in SS is similar across all walking intensities.