To study the effect of physical activity level on the distensibility of the human aortic wall, aortic pulse wave velocity (APWV) was estimated in 139 healthy male subjects (19-67 years) and was related to the energy expenditure by habitual physical exercise (physical activity index: PAI), which was evaluated by a 7-day total activity recall. The subjects consisted of 56 fun runners (runner group) and 83 general subjects, who were divided into 25 active subjects (active group: PAI ≥ 1,500 kcal/week) and 58 sedentary subjects (sedentary group: PAI < 1,500 kcal/week). The APWV index (APWVI: standardized APWV by the diastolic blood pressure) was found to be positively correlated with age and was negatively correlated with PAI. The age-adjusted APWVI of the runner group was significantly lower than that of the active and sedentary groups. The age-adjusted APWVI was also significantly lower in the active group than in the sedentary group. These results suggest that increased physical activity may retard the age-dependent loss of arterial distensibility in humans, in proportion to the amount and/or intensity of exercise.
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