An Acute Bout of Aquatic Treadmill Exercise Induces Greater Improvements in Endothelial Function and Post-Exercise Hypotension than Land Treadmill Exercise: A Crossover Study

Objective The purpose of the study was to compare acute bouts of aquatic treadmill (ATM) and land treadmill (LTM) exercise on flow-mediated dilation (FMD), post-exercise blood pressure (BP), plasma nitrate/nitrite (PN), and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) in untrained, pre-hypertensive men. Design In a counterbalanced, crossover design, 19 untrained, pre-hypertensive men completed bouts of ATM and LTM on separate days. FMD was measured pre-exercise and 1-hour post-exercise. Blood samples were obtained pre-exercise and immediately post-exercise and analyzed for PN and ANP. A magnitude-based inference approach to inference was used for statistical analysis. Results A possible clinically beneficial increase in FMD (1.2%; 90% confidence interval (CI), -0.07% to 2.5%) was observed 1-hour post ATM. In contrast, a possible clinically harmful decrease in FMD (-1.3%; 90% CI, -2.7% to 0.2%) was observed 1-hour post LTM. The magnitude of the post-exercise systolic BP reduction was greater following ATM (-4.9, SD 2.9 mmHg) than LTM (-2.6, SD 2.5 mmHg). ANP increased 34.3 (SD 47.0) % following ATM and decreased -9.0 (SD 40.0) % following LTM. Conclusion An acute bout of ATM induced a more favorable endothelial response and greater post-exercise hypotensive response than LTM. These changes were associated with increased ANP levels following ATM. Address for correspondence: Dustin P. Joubert, Ph.D., Department of Kinesiology and Health Science, Stephen F. Austin State University, P.O. Box 13015, SFA Station, Nacogdoches, TX 75962-3015; ; E-mail: joubertd@sfasu.edu Disclosures: The authors declare no conflict of interest. This study was partially funded by the Sydney and J.L. Huffines Institute for Sports Medicine and Human Performance and the Texas – American College of Sports Medicine. Partial findings from the present study were previously presented at the 2016 and 2017 American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting. Copyright © 2018 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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