Effects of 24-week resistance exercise training on carotid peak systolic and end diastolic flow velocity in healthy older adults.
Jinkee Park
PMID 27821937WHAT IT FOUND
Healthy older men who did elastic-band resistance exercise for 24 weeks had faster carotid artery blood flow: speed rose 9.2 cm/s during heart contraction and 1.8 cm/s during relaxation, with no change in artery wall thickness or diameter.
Key findings
01In the exercise group, 24 weeks of elastic-band resistance training increased peak systolic carotid flow velocity by 9.2 cm/s and end-diastolic carotid flow velocity by 1.8 cm/s.
02The exercise group also improved muscle strength, chair stand repetitions, walking speed, time up and go, two-minute steps, sit and reach, skeletal muscle mass, and reduced body fat percent and systolic blood pressure.
03Carotid intima-media thickness and luminal diameter did not change, and the control group showed no change in body composition, blood pressure, physical function, or carotid variables.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only healthy elderly men were studied, so the results may not apply to women or to people with hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, cardiovascular disease, or smoking. The sample was small: 30 men were analysed, 15 in each group. The paper does not report randomisation details, blinding, or dropout handling after assignment. The main outcomes were ultrasound flow measures, not heart attacks, strokes, or clinical cardiovascular events. Carotid artery wall thickness and luminal diameter did not change. It did not examine blood biochemical factors associated with cardiovascular disease.
Declared interests
No funding or conflict-of-interest statement is provided in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that elastic-band resistance exercise prevents cardiovascular disease or stroke. The study measured carotid flow velocity in 30 healthy elderly men and did not report heart attacks, strokes, or clinical cardiovascular events.