Enhanced vasodilation to acetylcholine in athletes is associated with lower plasma cholesterol

Abstract

We investigated a change in vascular reactivity as a potential adaptive mechanism to chronic exercise. The study consisted of 2 separate protocols with 10 male athletes and 10 age-matched sedentary male control subjects participating in each. Protocol 1 investigated forearm blood flow responses to intra-arterial infusions of acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside by use of venous occlusion plethysmography. Protocol 2 used identical techniques to study responses to norepinephrine, angiotensin II (ANG II), and N(G)- monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA). The percent reduction in forearm vascular resistance to acetylcholine was significantly greater in the athletic compared with the sedentary group (m..