Prenatal exercise and cardiovascular health (PEACH) study: The remote effect of aerobic exercise training on conduit artery and resistance vessel function.
We assessed the impact of a structured lower-limb aerobic exercise training intervention during pregnancy on brachial artery endothelial function, shear rate and patterns, and forearm blood flow and reactive hyperemia. Twenty-seven pregnant women were recruited and randomized into either a control group (n=11; 31.0 ± 0.7 years), or an exercise intervention group (n=16; 32.6 ± 0.9 years; NCT02948439). The exercise group completed 40 minutes of aerobic exercise (50-70% heart rate reserve) 3-4 times per week, between the second and third trimester of pregnancy. Endothelial function was assessed using flow-mediated dilation (FMD, normalized for shear stress) pre- (16-20 weeks) and post-intervention (34-36 weeks). The exercise training group experienced an attenuated increase in mean arterial pressure (MAP) relative to the control group (∆MAP exercise: +2± 2 mmHg vs. control: +7±3 mmHg; p=0.044) from pre- to post-intervention. % FMD change corrected for shear stress was not different between groups (p=0.460); however, the post occlusion mean flow rate (exercise: 437±32 mL/min vs. control: 364±35 mL/min; p=0.001) and post occlusion anterograde flow rate (exercise: 438±32 mL/min vs. control: 364±46 mL/min;p=0.001) were larger for the exercise training group compared to controls, post-intervention. Although endothelial function was not different between groups, we observed an increase in microcirculatory dilatory capacity, as suggested by the augmented reactive hyperemia in the exercise training group. Novelty: • Endothelial function was not altered with exercise training during pregnancy. • Exercise training did contribute to improved cardiovascular outcomes, which may have been associated with augmented reactive hyperaemia, indicative of increased microcirculatory dilatory capacity