Ageing and endurance training effects on quantity and quality of pulmonary vascular bed in healthy men

Abstract

It has recently been demonstrated that in healthy individuals, peak oxygen consumption is associated with a greater pulmonary capillary blood volume and a more distensible pulmonary circulation. Our cross-sectional study suggests that, in healthy men aged 20 to 60 years (n = 63), endurance sport practice (vigorous-intensity domain of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire) is associated with better quantity (pulmonary capillary blood volume) and quality (slope of increase in lung diffusion for carbon monoxide on exercise) of the pulmonary vascular bed, partly counterbalancing the deleterious effects of ageing, which remains to be demonstrated in a prospective longitudinal design.

The effect of aging and cardiorespiratory fitness on the lung diffusing capacity response to exercise in healthy humans

“…Our findings are confirmatory that healthy aging is associated with a progressive decline in resting DL CO (1,6,9,11,15,33,34). For example, Guénard and Marthan (15) demonstrated that both DL CO and DL CO relative to minute ventilation (DL CO /V E) are negatively correlated with age according to the equations DL CO ϭ 126 -0.90 ϫ age and DL CO /V E ϭ 13.5 -0.85 ϫ age, respectively.…”

“…: Old Highly Fit (HF); □: Old. age (1,6,11,12,15,33,34). Interestingly, however, we also found that DL CO , Dm CO , and Vc were greater during maximal exercise in highly fit older individuals compared with their less fit age-matched counterparts (Fig.…”

“…Healthy aging is associated with a deterioration in the structure and function of the pulmonary vasculature that is characterized by an increase in pulmonary vascular stiffness, pulmonary vascular pressures, and pulmonary vascular resis-tance (20,24,28), as well as reductions in resting Vc and Dm CO (1,9,12,15). It has been shown, however, that despite these age-related changes DL CO does not become limited during maximal exercise in the older adult of average cardiorespiratory fitness (34).…”

“…Interestingly, however, we found that highly fit older individuals demonstrate greater values of lung diffusing capacity during high-intensity exercise than their less fit age-matched counterparts. maximal aerobic capacity; lung diffusing capacity; pulmonary circulation; alveolar-capillary membrane conductance; pulmonary-capillary blood volume MAXIMAL AEROBIC CAPACITY (V O 2max ) has been shown to, at least in part, be determined by the structure and function of the pulmonary vasculature in health and chronic disease (1,10,22,23,25). For example, it has been shown that V O 2max is positively correlated with resting pulmonary capillary blood volume (Vc) and pulmonary vascular distensibility and inversely related to pulmonary vascular resistance at maximal exercise in healthy individuals (23).…”

“…Healthy aging is associated with a progressive deterioration in the structure and function of the pulmonary circulation that is characterized by an increase in pulmonary vascular stiffness, pulmonary vascular pressures, and pulmonary vascular resistance (20,24,28). Additionally, from maturity to senescence, there is a decrease in resting Vc and Dm CO that is consistent with a reduction in alveolar-capillary surface area (1,15). These age-related changes in the pulmonary vasculature may impair recruitment and/or distension of the pulmonary capillaries during exercise in healthy older adults, subsequently impairing the increase in alveolar-capillary surface area needed for effective gas exchange and resulting in an excessive rise in pulmonary vascular pressures relative to the metabolic demand of exercise.…”