Upper-body eccentric exercise improved dynamic muscular function while training at low exertion levels. Results occurred with minimal soreness and without compromising arterial function. ECC findings parallel eccentric leg cycling findings and indicate that eccentric cycle ergometry offers a robust model for enhancing upper-body muscular function. ECC could have applications in rehabilitation and sport training.
Mindfulness meditation has been shown to have numerous health benefits when used over the course of days or weeks, but the effect of a single session on aortic pulsatility and anxiety is unclear. Therefore we sought to determine if a single session of mindfulness meditation could effectively reduce aortic pulsatile load and anxiety. Fourteen adults (24±8 years) with mild to moderate anxiety (≥8 Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI)) participated in a 60 minute guided mindfulness meditation session. Baseline aortic pulsatile load (aortic pulse pressure × heart rate) and BAI were assessed approximately one week prior to the mindfulness meditation session during a study orientation. Aortic pulsatile load was assessed before, immediately after, and 60 minutes after the mindfulness meditation session. Anxiety was also assessed 60 minutes following meditation. The single mindfulness session reduced aortic pulsatile load from 2008±108 to 1730±85 a.u. immediately after meditation (p<0.01). The reduction in aortic pulsatile load was maintained 60 minutes post‐meditation (1729±99 a.u.; p<0.02). The BAI score was also significantly reduced 60 minutes post‐meditation compared to baseline (15±1 vs. 11±2; p<0.02). Our findings demonstrate that even a single session of mindfulness meditation can have cardiovascular and psychological benefits for adults with mild to moderate anxiety. Reductions in pulsatile load may help to reduce damage to end organs such as the brain and kidneys, while reduced anxiety could help to prevent vascular dysfunction.Support or Funding InformationSupported by the Portage Health Foundation.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
Previous work reports that changes in the aortic augmentation index (AIx) are correlated with changes in mean arterial pressure (MAP) during the cold pressor test (CPT) in normal weight adults. The purpose of the present study is to examine the relationship between MAP and AIx responses during CPT in those with high (蠅32%; n=10) and low (蠄 30%; n=10) trunk fat. Trunk fat was determined via bioelectric impedance analysis (Tanita BC‐418). Participants were tested in the supine position during a 3 min baseline and 3 min CPT while MAP and heart rate (HR) were continuously recorded. Radial applanation tonometry measurements were assessed approximately 30 s into each minute, and AIx is reported as a mean of baseline measurements and from the 3rd minute of CPT (n=7 for each group). Baseline MAP, HR, and AIx were similar in the 2 groups. The increases in MAP (Δ18±3 vs. Δ17±3 mmHg), HR (Δ9±1 vs. Δ4±2 beats/min), and AIx (Δ14±5 vs. Δ9±5%) were similar for the low and high trunk fat groups, respectively. Consistent with previous work the MAP responses to CPT were correlated to changes in AIx across all participants (r=0.70; p<0.01). When separately examining the low trunk fat group, ΔMAP and ΔAIx remained significantly correlated (r=0.87; p<0.01), but in the high fat group the correlation was no longer significant (r=0.43; p=0.33). Our results indicate that while MAP responses to CPT are similar in low and high trunk fat participants, the relationship between ΔMAP and ΔAIx appears to be disrupted by elevated trunk fat.
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