Aerobic exercise performance correlates with post-ischemic flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery in young healthy men

In older healthy men, aerobic exercise capacity is related to postischemic flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery (FMD), but corresponding data in a younger population is not available. In addition, whether submaximal aerobic exercise performance also correlates with this kind of vasomotor reactivity is not known. Therefore, in 15 nonsmoking young healthy men [age 27 (5) years; body mass index: 24 (2) kg/m²; mean (SD)] with different levels of ordinary physical activity, but not performing upper-extremity training, we measured FMD at 1 min after reactive hyperemia, and pulmonary oxygen uptake (V̇O₂) at ventilatory anaerobic threshold (V̇O₂AT) and at peak effort (peak V̇O₂) during an incremental exercise on a treadmill. In our participants, FMD was 9.1 (3.4)%, V̇O₂AT was 40.72 (5.92) ml/kg per min, and peak V̇O₂ was 52.95 (8.13) ml/kg per min. Using bivariate Pearson’s correlation, and in separate multivariate regression analyses, V̇O₂AT and peak VO₂ showed a significant and reasonably good correlation with FMD (r=0.84, P<0.001 and r=0.77, P=0.001, respectively), independent of age, body mass index and serum total cholesterol (β=0.77, P<0.001, R² of the overall model=0.79 and β=0.70, P<0.005, R² of the overall model=0.69, respectively). Our data provide evidence suggesting that in young healthy men a higher submaximal and maximal aerobic exercise performance is associated with a greater FMD of peripheral conduit arteries.