Leisure-Time Physical Activity Has a More Favourable Impact on Carotid Artery Stiffness Than Vigorous Physical Activity in Hypertensive Human Beings

Aim. To assess the effect of leisure time versus vigorous long-term dynamic physical activity (PA) on carotid stiffness in normotensive versus hypertensive subjects. Methods. The study was conducted on 120 leisure-time exercisers and 120 competitive athletes. One hundred and twenty sedentary subjects served as controls. In addition, participants were classified according to whether their systolic blood pressure was >= 130 mmHg (hypertensives, n = 120) or normal (normotensives, n = 240) according to the ACC/AHA 2017 definition. Carotid artery stiffness was assessed with an echo-tracking ultrasound system, using the pressure-strain elastic modulus (EP) and one-point pulse wave velocity (PWV beta) as parameters of stiffness. Results. The effect of the two levels of PA differed in the normotensives and the hypertensives. Among the normotensives, there was an ongoing, graded reduction in EP and PWV beta from the sedentary subjects to the athletes. By contrast, among the hypertensives, the lowest levels of EP and PWV beta were found among the leisure-time PA participants. EP and PWV beta did not differ between the hypertensive sedentary subjects and the athletes. A significant interaction was found between PA and BP status on EP (p = 0.03) and a borderline interaction on PWV beta (p = 0.06). In multiple regression analyses, PA was a negative predictor of EP (p = 0.001) and PWV beta (p = 0.0001). The strength of the association was weakened after the inclusion of heart rate in the models (p = 0.04 and 0.007, respectively). Conclusions. These data indicate that in people with hypertension, leisure-time PA has beneficial effects on carotid artery stiffness, whereas high-intensity chronic PA provides no benefit to vascular functions.

Automated summary

This study assessed the effects of leisure time versus vigorous long-term dynamic physical activity on carotid stiffness in individuals with normal blood pressure and hypertension. The results showed that leisure time physical activity had a beneficial effect on carotid artery stiffness in hypertensive individuals, while high-intensity chronic physical activity did not provide any benefits to vascular functions. Among individuals with normal blood pressure, there was a gradual reduction in carotid stiffness from sedentary individuals to competitive athletes.