Effects of a 12-week alpine skiing intervention on endothelial progenitor cells, peripheral arterial tone and endothelial biomarkers in the elderly

TY - JOUR

T1 - Effects of a 12-week alpine skiing intervention on endothelial progenitor cells, peripheral arterial tone and endothelial biomarkers in the elderly

AU - Niederseer, David

AU - Steidle-Kloc, Eva

AU - Mayr, Matthias

AU - Müller, Edith E

AU - Cadamuro, Janne

AU - Patsch, Wolfgang

AU - Dela, Flemming

AU - Müller, Erich

AU - Niebauer, Josef

N1 - Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

PY - 2016/7/1

Y1 - 2016/7/1

N2 - Objective: Endothelial dysfunction occurs early during atherogenesis and it can be normalized by exercise training. Unfortunately, patients' compliance with exercise prescription remains low, often because the given choices do not appeal to them. In Alpine regions, skiing is a popular mode of exercise, and therefore we set out to assess whether it can induce antiatherogenic effects. Methods: We randomized 42 subjects into a group of 12 weeks of guided skiing (intervention group, IG, n = 22; 12 males/10 females; age: 66.6 ± 2.1 years) or a control group (CG, n = 20; 10 males/10 females; age: 67.3 ± 4.4 years). Early (CD3 - CD34 + CD45 +) and late endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs; CD45dimCD34 + KDR + peripheral blood mononuclear cells, PBMCs), peripheral arterial tonometry and endothelial biomarkers were assessed at the beginning and end of the study. Results: In the IG, participants completed 28.5 ± 2.6 skiing days at an average heart rate of 72.7 ± 8.5% of their maximum heart rate. Changes in early (IG: + 0.001 ± 0.001% PBMC; CG: - 0.001 ± 0.001% PBMC; IG vs. CG: p < 0.001) but not late EPCs differed significantly. Changes in peripheral arterial tone differed significantly between IG (Reactive Hyperemia Index: + 0.18 ± 0.76) and CG (- 0.39 ± 0.85; p = 0.045), as did homocysteine (IG: - 1.3 ± 1.3 μmol/l; CG: - 0.4 ± 1.4 μmol/l; p = 0.037) while other endothelial biomarkers remained essentially unchanged. Conclusions: This study shows that skiing induces several beneficial effects on markers of atherogenesis including EPCs, peripheral arterial tone and homocysteine. Our findings suggest that recreational alpine skiing may serve as a further mode of preventive exercise training, which might result in improved compliance with current recommendations.

AB - Objective: Endothelial dysfunction occurs early during atherogenesis and it can be normalized by exercise training. Unfortunately, patients' compliance with exercise prescription remains low, often because the given choices do not appeal to them. In Alpine regions, skiing is a popular mode of exercise, and therefore we set out to assess whether it can induce antiatherogenic effects. Methods: We randomized 42 subjects into a group of 12 weeks of guided skiing (intervention group, IG, n = 22; 12 males/10 females; age: 66.6 ± 2.1 years) or a control group (CG, n = 20; 10 males/10 females; age: 67.3 ± 4.4 years). Early (CD3 - CD34 + CD45 +) and late endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs; CD45dimCD34 + KDR + peripheral blood mononuclear cells, PBMCs), peripheral arterial tonometry and endothelial biomarkers were assessed at the beginning and end of the study. Results: In the IG, participants completed 28.5 ± 2.6 skiing days at an average heart rate of 72.7 ± 8.5% of their maximum heart rate. Changes in early (IG: + 0.001 ± 0.001% PBMC; CG: - 0.001 ± 0.001% PBMC; IG vs. CG: p < 0.001) but not late EPCs differed significantly. Changes in peripheral arterial tone differed significantly between IG (Reactive Hyperemia Index: + 0.18 ± 0.76) and CG (- 0.39 ± 0.85; p = 0.045), as did homocysteine (IG: - 1.3 ± 1.3 μmol/l; CG: - 0.4 ± 1.4 μmol/l; p = 0.037) while other endothelial biomarkers remained essentially unchanged. Conclusions: This study shows that skiing induces several beneficial effects on markers of atherogenesis including EPCs, peripheral arterial tone and homocysteine. Our findings suggest that recreational alpine skiing may serve as a further mode of preventive exercise training, which might result in improved compliance with current recommendations.

U2 - 10.1016/j.ijcard.2016.03.229

DO - 10.1016/j.ijcard.2016.03.229

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 27085126

SN - 0167-5273

VL - 214

SP - 343

EP - 347

JO - International Journal of Cardiology

JF - International Journal of Cardiology

ER -