Post-menopausal females experience elevated cardiovascular disease risk (CVD), compared to premenopausal females and age-matched males. Current exercise guidelines appear inadequate to ameliorate this increased risk and higher intensity exercise may be necessary. Oral inorganic nitrate supplementation enhances both exercise performance and CVD risk profile in several clinical conditions. However, the effects of this intervention in post-menopausal females is unexplored.
The purpose of this study is to determine whether acute inorganic nitrate supplementation and exercising at different exercise intensities (high vs moderate) improve vascular health in post-menopausal females.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
24
Beet It Sport (James White Drinks, Ltd.) each containing 400mg of inorganic nitrate (\~6.5 mmol) will be consumed twice daily (totalling \~13 mmol of inorganic nitrate per day) for at least 2 days prior to testing visits, as well as 2 hours prior to testing visits.
Beet It Sport (James White Drinks, Ltd.) each containing 0mg of inorganic nitrate (\~0 mmol) will be consumed twice daily (totalling \~0 mmol of inorganic nitrate per day) for at least 2 days prior to testing visits, as well as 2 hours prior to testing visits. It is provided by the same company that produces the concentrated beet root juice shots (James White Drinks) but the placebo version is nitrate-depleted.
Student Health and Wellness Center
Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
Baseline Flow-Mediated Dilation
Participants will be placed in a supine position with their left forearm slightly extended and supinated with legs straight. The brachial artery will be imaged using a high-resolution doppler ultrasound utilizing a 7.5MHz linear array transducer at rest, during 5 minutes of forearm occlusion via cuff inflation, and continuously for 2 minutes post-occlusion; an EKG trigger will be used to capture images during end-diastole of the cardiac cycle. Images will be analyzed offline using specialized software (Medical Imaging Applications, Inc.) to calculate the change in brachial artery diameter.
Time frame: Baseline (minute 0).
Post-Exercise/Control Flow-Mediated Dilation (60 minutes)
Participants will be placed in a supine position with their left forearm slightly extended and supinated with legs straight. The brachial artery will be imaged using a high-resolution doppler ultrasound utilizing a 7.5MHz linear array transducer at rest, during 5 minutes of forearm occlusion via cuff inflation, and continuously for 2 minutes post-occlusion; an EKG trigger will be used to capture images during end-diastole of the cardiac cycle. Images will be analyzed offline using specialized software (Medical Imaging Applications, Inc.) to calculate the change in brachial artery diameter.
Time frame: 60 minutes post-baseline.
Post-Exercise/Control Flow-Mediated Dilation (90 minutes)
Participants will be placed in a supine position with their left forearm slightly extended and supinated with legs straight. The brachial artery will be imaged using a high-resolution doppler ultrasound utilizing a 7.5MHz linear array transducer at rest, during 5 minutes of forearm occlusion via cuff inflation, and continuously for 2 minutes post-occlusion; an EKG trigger will be used to capture images during end-diastole of the cardiac cycle. Images will be analyzed offline using specialized software (Medical Imaging Applications, Inc.) to calculate the change in brachial artery diameter.
Time frame: 90 minutes post-baseline.
Post-Exercise/Control Flow-Mediated Dilation (120 minutes)
Participants will be placed in a supine position with their left forearm slightly extended and supinated with legs straight. The brachial artery will be imaged using a high-resolution doppler ultrasound utilizing a 7.5MHz linear array transducer at rest, during 5 minutes of forearm occlusion via cuff inflation, and continuously for 2 minutes post-occlusion; an EKG trigger will be used to capture images during end-diastole of the cardiac cycle. Images will be analyzed offline using specialized software (Medical Imaging Applications, Inc.) to calculate the change in brachial artery diameter.
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Time frame: 120 minutes post-baseline.
Post-Exercise/Control Flow-Mediated Dilation (150 min)
Participants will be placed in a supine position with their left forearm slightly extended and supinated with legs straight. The brachial artery will be imaged using a high-resolution doppler ultrasound utilizing a 7.5MHz linear array transducer at rest, during 5 minutes of forearm occlusion via cuff inflation, and continuously for 2 minutes post-occlusion; an EKG trigger will be used to capture images during end-diastole of the cardiac cycle. Images will be analyzed offline using specialized software (Medical Imaging Applications, Inc.) to calculate the change in brachial artery diameter.
Time frame: 150 minutes post-baseline.
Post-Exercise/Control Flow-Mediated Dilation (180 min)
Participants will be placed in a supine position with their left forearm slightly extended and supinated with legs straight. The brachial artery will be imaged using a high-resolution doppler ultrasound utilizing a 7.5MHz linear array transducer at rest, during 5 minutes of forearm occlusion via cuff inflation, and continuously for 2 minutes post-occlusion; an EKG trigger will be used to capture images during end-diastole of the cardiac cycle. Images will be analyzed offline using specialized software (Medical Imaging Applications, Inc.) to calculate the change in brachial artery diameter.
Time frame: 180 minutes post-baseline.
Baseline Pulse Wave Velocity
Supine measures of carotid to femoral pulse wave velocity will be measured using a SphygmoCor Xcel device.
Time frame: Baseline (minute 0).
Post-Exercise/Control Pulse Wave Velocity (60 min)
Supine measures of carotid to femoral pulse wave velocity will be measured using a SphygmoCor Xcel device.
Time frame: 60 minutes post-baseline.
Post-Exercise/Control Pulse Wave Velocity (90 min)
Supine measures of carotid to femoral pulse wave velocity will be measured using a SphygmoCor Xcel device.
Time frame: 90 minutes post-baseline.
Post-Exercise/Control Pulse Wave Velocity (120 min)
Supine measures of carotid to femoral pulse wave velocity will be measured using a SphygmoCor Xcel device.
Time frame: 120 minutes post-baseline.
Post-Exercise/Control Pulse Wave Velocity (150 min)
Supine measures of carotid to femoral pulse wave velocity will be measured using a SphygmoCor Xcel device.
Time frame: 150 minutes post-baseline.
Post-Exercise/Control Pulse Wave Velocity (180 min)
Supine measures of carotid to femoral pulse wave velocity will be measured using a SphygmoCor Xcel device.
Time frame: 180 minutes post-baseline.