Acute effects of walking and combined exercise on oxidative stress and vascular function in peripheral artery disease

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of a single session of walking and combined exercise on oxidative stress and vascular function in peripheral arterial disease patients. Thirteen patients with peripheral arterial disease underwent two experimental sessions in random order: walking (ten sets of 2-min walking at the speed corresponding to the onset of claudication pain with 2-min interval between sets) and combined exercise (1 × 10 reps in eight resistance exercises plus five-two-minute sets of walking). Before and after the exercise, vascular function (blood flow, leg vascular resistance and blood-flow postreactive hyperaemia) and oxidative stress (malondialdehyde and plasma nitrite levels) were obtained. Blood flow increased similarly after both sessions, whilst leg vascular resistance decreased similarly after both sessions. Plasma nitrite increased only after the combined exercise. Malondialdehyde decreased after both sessions, and the decrease was greater after combined exercise. As a conclusion, a single session of combined exercise improves blood flow and leg vascular resistance similarly to walking session; however, combined exercise promoted better effects on oxidative stress.

Keywords: aerobic exercise; blood flow velocity; endothelial function; intermittent claudication; resistance exercise.