Endurance exercise training enhances cutaneous microvascular reactivity in post-menopausal women.

OBJECTIVE: To compare cutaneous microvascular reactivity between untrained young and post-menopausal women, and assess the effects of 48 weeks of endurance exercise training on cutaneous microvascular reactivity in post-menopausal women. METHODS: Twenty post-menopausal and 12 young women completed this study. Using laser-Doppler flowmetry, an index of skin blood flow was measured on the forearm at rest, during post-occlusive reactive hyperaemia (PORH), and during localised heating to 42°C. Cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC) was calculated as the ratio of laser-Doppler flow to mean arterial pressure (in AU mm Hg(-1)). For the post-menopausal women, this assessment was also performed after 6, 12, 24, 36, and 48 weeks of endurance exercise training. RESULTS: PORH and maximum CVC responses were depressed in untrained post-menopausal women compared with young controls (P ≤ 0.011 for all methods of data expression). PORH was increased (P<0.05) in the post-menopausal women after 24 weeks of exercise training (0.51 ± 0.16 vs. 0.65 ± 0.23 AU mm Hg(-1)), with further increases after 36 and 48 weeks (0.76 ± 0.27 and 0.88 ± 0.32 AU mm Hg(-1), respectively). Similarly, maximum CVC was increased (P<0.05) after 24 weeks (2.20 ± 0.31 vs. 2.66 ± 0.27 AU mm Hg(-1)), and at the 36-week assessment (2.90 ± 0.30 AU mm Hg(-1)). Cardiopulmonary fitness (V˙O(2)max) increased after 12 weeks (23.5 ± 4.4 vs. 25.4 ± 5.1 mL kg(-1)min(-1); P<0.05), and improved further throughout the intervention (31.6 ± 5.9 mL kg(-1)min(-1) at week 48). There was a moderate positive relationship between the change in PORH (in AU mm Hg(-1)) between weeks 0 and 48 and the concomitant change in V˙O(2)max (r=0.65, P=0.002). After 24-36 weeks of exercise training, the PORH and maximum CVC responses of the post-menopausal women did not differ to those of the young untrained women (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Cutaneous microvascular reactivity is reduced in post-menopausal women compared to young controls and increased to similar levels after 24-36 weeks of mild-to-moderate endurance exercise.