| Summary: | Endothelial dysfunction increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, and regular exercise has been shown to increase endothelial function; however, single bouts of exercise may also produce beneficial effects lasting at least 24 h. <bold>Purpose:</bold> The purpose of this study was to observe the effects of two intensities of a single bout of aerobic exercise on endothelial function in obese, post-menopausal women. <bold>Methods:</bold> Eleven obese (percent fat = 37.23 ± 2.75; BMI = 30.57 ± 2.14) women between the ages of 54 and 70 yrs completed two, one-hour sessions of treadmill exercise at 50 and 70 percent of HRmax, and a resting control trial. Endothelial function was assessed via flowmediated dilation of the brachial artery and via blood levels of nitrate/nitrite before and after exercise and at two, 24, 48, and 72 hours post exercise. Flow mediated dilation was measured by ultrasound images of the brachial artery before and for 5 min after 5 min of occlusion. A 3 × 6 repeated measures ANOVA was used to examine differences between condition and time for flow mediated dilation and blood measures. <bold>Results:</bold> No significant differences were seen between exercise and rest or between exercise trials in measures of endothelial function. <bold>Conclusion:</bold> In elderly, obese females, one hour of exercise did not impact subsequent flow mediated dilation responses, nor the blood markers of endothelial function at any time points, regardless of the exercise intensity.
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