Abstract
Background Periodic acceleration in the direction of the spinal axis through repetitive movement increases the shear stress on the vascular endothelium. In the present study it was assessed whether whole-body periodic acceleration with a new device would enhance endothelial function in sedentary adult volunteers. Methods and Results Twenty-six sedentary subjects (44±3 years) were randomly assigned to remain sedentary or perform exercise training for 4 weeks, followed by crossover. Periodic acceleration was applied with a horizontal motion platform at 2-3 Hz and approximately ±2.2 m/s2 for 45 min. Increases in the brachial artery diameter were examined at rest, during reactive hyperemia (flow-mediated dilatation: %FMD) and after sublingual administration of 0.3 mg nitroglycerin (%NTG) using high-resolution ultrasound. All subjects completed the study with no adverse side-effects. There were no significant changes in the resting heart rate or arterial pressure, body weight, or lipid profiles during the study. Although %FMD did not change during the non-training period with periodic acceleration, it significantly increased from 7.3±0.4% at baseline to 8.4±0.4% after the training period (p<0.05), while %NTG remained unchanged. Conclusions Whole-body periodic acceleration with a horizontal motion platform improved vascular endothelial function in sedentary adults. This device might offer an alternative to active exercise for patients whose medical condition limits physical activity. (Circ J 2008; 72: 139 -143)