Vascular Stiffness clinical trials

The Effects of Repeated Bouts of Downhill Running and Curcumin Supplementation on Arterial Stiffness During Recovery

Arterial Stiffness: As a recognized independent indicator of cardiovascular risk, maintaining low levels of arterial stiffening is important to cardiovascular health. Increases in arterial stiffening results in elevated systolic and mean pressure and it is correlated with various cardiovascular conditions such as left ventricular hypertrophy, ischaemic heart disease, and myocardial infarction. In contrast, decreased arterial stiffness improves ventricular-vascular coupling, ejection fraction, and cardiac output. Arterial stiffness is linked to inflammation and oxidative stress. Both inflammation and oxidative stress are elevated during DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness), a state brought on by muscle damage often incurred during strenuous exercise. Recent studies have shown that a single bout of eccentric exercise can produce acute arterial stiffness during recovery. However, anti-oxidants/anti-inflammatories may be effective in reducing the extent of damage by decreasing oxidation and inflammation. Curcumin is a powerful antioxidant that could act as an anti-inflammatory and diminish the effects of the downhill run. In addition, eccentric damage generates a prophylactic protection lasting up to six weeks. The nature of the downhill run is primarily eccentric in nature. Therefore, repeated bouts may have diminished DOMS development. Any reduction in stress by either the prophylactic repeated bout effect or the Curcumin supplement, should attenuate the increase in arterial stiffness due to the reduction in inflammation.