Age- and fitness-related differences in limb venous compliance do not affect tolerance to maximal lower body negative pressure in men and women

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Abstract
Aging and chronic exercise training influence leg venous compliance. Venous compliance affects responses to an orthostatic stress; its effect on tolerance to maximal lower body negative pressure (LBNP) in the elderly is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of age and fitness, a surrogate measure of exercise training, on calf venous compliance and tolerance to maximal LBNP in men and women. Forty participants, 10 young fit (YF; age = 22.6 ± 0.5 yr, peak oxygen uptake = 57.1 ± 2.0 ml·kg−1·min−1), 10 young unfit (YU; 23.1 ± 1.0 yr, 41.1 ± 2.0 ml·kg−1·min−1), 10 older fit (OF; 73.9 ± 2.0 yr, 39.0 ± 2.0 ml·kg−1·min−1), and 10 older unfit (OU; 70.9 ± 1.6 yr, 27.1 ± 2.0 ml·kg−1·min−1), underwent graded LBNP to presyncope or 4 min at −100 mmHg. By utilizing venous occlusion plethysmography, calf venous compliance was determined by using the first derivative of the pressure-volume relation during cuff pressure reduction. We found that the more fit groups had greater venous compliance than their unfit peers ( P < 0.05) as did the young groups compared with their older peers ( P < 0.05) such that OU < YU = OF < YF. LBNP tolerance did not differ between groups. In conclusion, these data suggest that aging reduces, and chronic exercise increases, venous compliance. However, these data do not support a significant influence of venous compliance on LBNP tolerance.

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