Lam FKF1, Ying MTC2, Chan SWI1, Fu DKC1, Lau ACW1, Wu ESL1, Ngai SPC1
1Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Department of Health Technology and Informatics, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Background: Obesity is now a global epidemic with an alarming prevalence in adolescents. Recent studies suggested obesity since adolescence may induce early cardiovascular changes and further progress into adulthood. Carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and pulse wave velocity (PWV) are commonly used non-invasive vascular indices for detecting early cardiovascular changes in people with obesity. However, little is known about the post-exercise vascular response and its impact on health.
Purpose: This study investigates the vascular health indices including cIMT and PWV in adolescents with and without obesity and evaluates the response immediately after submaximal exercise with non-invasive measurements.
Methods: Twenty adolescents aged between 12-16 years old with body mass index (BMI)≥ 25kg/m2were recruited. Twenty age, gender and height matched adolescents with BMI 23 kg/m2were recruited as control. Participants visited the laboratory once. cIMT and PWV were measured before and immediately after submaximal ergometry test to evaluate vascular health at baseline and its response to exercise.
Results: Obese adolescents showed a significant thicker cIMT by 72.25µm(p=0.001) than healthy control at baseline while no significant between-group difference in PWV, LAEI and SAEI (p≥0.05). Immediately post-exercise, both groups demonstrated a significant within-group reduction of lower limb PWV(p=0.044 in normal and p=0.019 in obese group) without between-group difference (p≥0.05).
Conclusion(s): This study showed that thicker cIMT was observed in obese adolescents indicating the presence of early vascular changes since adolescents. The current findings showed that obese adolescents demonstrated no difference in vascular response upon submaximal exercise. However, further studies with larger sample size are warranted.
Implications: As reported in other literature, increased intima-media thickness is associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Our findings support that an increase in intima-media thickness, in association with obesity, occur even during adolescence which may poentially aggravates cardiovascular risk extending to adulthood. Thus, appropriate management to control obesity for minimising the impact to cardiovascular health in adolescence is needed.
Keywords: Adolescent obesity, Intima-media thickness
Funding acknowledgements: No funding support to this project
Purpose: This study investigates the vascular health indices including cIMT and PWV in adolescents with and without obesity and evaluates the response immediately after submaximal exercise with non-invasive measurements.
Methods: Twenty adolescents aged between 12-16 years old with body mass index (BMI)≥ 25kg/m2were recruited. Twenty age, gender and height matched adolescents with BMI 23 kg/m2were recruited as control. Participants visited the laboratory once. cIMT and PWV were measured before and immediately after submaximal ergometry test to evaluate vascular health at baseline and its response to exercise.
Results: Obese adolescents showed a significant thicker cIMT by 72.25µm(p=0.001) than healthy control at baseline while no significant between-group difference in PWV, LAEI and SAEI (p≥0.05). Immediately post-exercise, both groups demonstrated a significant within-group reduction of lower limb PWV(p=0.044 in normal and p=0.019 in obese group) without between-group difference (p≥0.05).
Conclusion(s): This study showed that thicker cIMT was observed in obese adolescents indicating the presence of early vascular changes since adolescents. The current findings showed that obese adolescents demonstrated no difference in vascular response upon submaximal exercise. However, further studies with larger sample size are warranted.
Implications: As reported in other literature, increased intima-media thickness is associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Our findings support that an increase in intima-media thickness, in association with obesity, occur even during adolescence which may poentially aggravates cardiovascular risk extending to adulthood. Thus, appropriate management to control obesity for minimising the impact to cardiovascular health in adolescence is needed.
Keywords: Adolescent obesity, Intima-media thickness
Funding acknowledgements: No funding support to this project
Topic: Cardiorespiratory
Ethics approval required: Yes
Institution: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Ethics committee: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Departmental Research Committee
Ethics number: HSEARS20150527003
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
