Effect of knee extension exercise with KAATSU on forehead cutaneous blood flow in healthy young and middle-aged women

抄録

Dynamic exercise induces changes in the redistribution of whole-body organ-tissue blood circulation, including cutaneous blood circulation. We hypothesized that limb exercise combined with the restriction of muscular blood flow (KAATSU) may influence cutaneous blood flow redistribution. To examine this hypothesis, forehead (supraorbital) cutaneous blood flow was compared in women performing exercises with and without KAATSU. Ten young and middle-aged female subjects in the supine position performed three sets of 15 repetitions of unloaded unilateral knee extension exercises (30-s rest between sets). Blood flow was calculated from blood velocity and red blood cell mass (blood flow = velocity ^* mass) determined by laser blood flowmetry. While exercise without KAATSU did not induce alterations in velocity and mass (hence, no alterations in blood flow) throughout the entire exercise series, exercise with KAATSU induced increases (P<0.05) in blood flow owing to increases in velocity. These increases were not eliminated during the rest periods between exercise sets. Heart rate (HR) increased (P<0.05) with the second and third sets of exercises with KAATSU compared with HR before exercise initiation, and was higher than the HR resulting from a corresponding set of exercises without KAATSU. There were no changes in blood lactate and hematocrit in both types of exercises. Norepinephrine increased (P<0.05) at the completion of the exercise sets. These results suggest that forehead cutaneous blood circulation was increased by unloaded KAATSU leg exercise.