Assessment of HRV after maximal exercise in trained postmenopausal women.

Increased parasympathetic tone achieved with endurance training may provide cardioprotection after menopause. To compare heart rate variability (HRV) from rest through maximal exercise and recovery in trained postmenopausal women. Thirty-six postmenopausal women who self-reported training at either moderate (MOD; 3-5.9 METS; 58.9+/-4.4 year) or vigorous (VIG; >6 METS; 59.7+/-5.2 year) intensities participated. HRV was measured for 5 min in the supine position, in the last minute of the VO2max test and after 2 min of active recovery. HRV in MOD and VIG was compared using a factorial ANOVA with repeated measures on time. MOD and VIG responded similarly over the three time periods for root mean square of sequential deviations (rMSSD), and high (HF) and low frequency (LF) power (p>0.05). Maximal exercise lowered rMSSD (3.3+/-0.08 vs. 1.2+/-0.06) and lnLF (4.1+/-0.05 vs. 3.3+/-0.13) and increased lnHF (3.3+/-0.14 vs. 4.0+/-0.10; p<0.01) from resting. However, active recovery restored lnHF (3.3+/-0.11) and lnLF (4.1+/-0.08) from maximal values (p<0.01). Our findings suggest that moderate and vigorous exercise training may enhance HRV recovery following one bout of maximal exercise in older women.

Gender comparison of C-reactive protein and cardiovascular disease risk in college students and intercollegiate athletes.

AIM: Research involving coronary artery disease (CAD) risk in young adults is limited; therefore we compared cardiovascular risk between college-aged men and women. METHODS: Thirty college men and women volunteered as study subjects. CAD risk assessment included systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), waist circumference, percent body fat (%BF), maximum oxygen consumption, fasting plasma C-reactive protein (CRP), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), Body Mass Index (BMI) and fasting glucose. Risk factors were compared between groups using a t-test and Pearson product moment correlations were used to determine the relationships between CRP and CAD risk factors. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were observed for HDL, TC/HDL ratio, SBP, and %BF, between men and women. Total cholesterol and CRP concentration were not different between men and women. Log CRP was positively correlated with %BF and BMI. Further, 47% of the subjects met the criteria for one or more risk factors for CAD, as specified by the American College of Sports Medicine. CONCLUSION: Our data indicate a gender difference in CAD risk in college students with similar reported activity. Waist circumference, fasting glucose, % body fat, and BMI are associated with CRP in college age men and women.