P1.1 PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS ASSOCIATED WITH FLOW-MEDIATED DILATATION IN FEMALES

Abstract

Impairment of vascular endothelial function is an early sign of atherosclerosis. An active lifestyle is suggested to be positively associated with favorable endothelial function as opposed to a sedentary lifestyle. The aim of this ongoing study (Lifestyle, Biomarkers and Atherosclerosis Study) is to investigate associations between vascular endothelial function and physical activity level in 1000 non-smokers without know disease aged 18-25 years. Preliminary data from the 317 first subjects with complete data will be reported here. Flow-mediated dilation was assessed in a. brachialis by high-resolution ultrasound (Vivid e9) before and after 5-minutes occlusion, and time spent active (at moderate or vigorous intensity level) or sedentary was assessed by accelerometry (ActiGraph wGT3X-BT). Females n=226 Males n=91 Gender differences (P-value) Age BMI Body fat (%) Time spent active (min/day) Time spent sedentary (min/day) Flow Mediated Dilatation measures Diameter, pre-stas (mm) Increase, post-stas (mm) Increase, post-stas (%) 21,8 22,4 27,8 45 514 3,16 0,28 8,9 21,8 22,9 15,0 45 524 3,74 0,28 7,5 1,00 0,14 <0,001 0,99 0,32 <0,001 0,96 <0,001 Multiple regression analyses show that time spent active is statistically associated with diameter increase (mm) and percentage increase (adjusted for pre-stas diameter) in females (beta coefficient = 0,144; p=0,032 and beta-coefficient=0,135; p= 0,041, respectively) but not in males. Time spent sedentary did not show any associations with the flow-mediated dilatation variables in neither females nor males. In conclusion, already in young adulthood, an active lifestyle is associated with higher flow-mediated dilatation as a measure of endothelial function.