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Gender Differences in
Cardiovascular Regulation During Recovery From Exercise
Report Among the Highlighted Topics on Gender
Differences in the October Edition of the Journal of Applied Physiology
BETHESDA, Md. -- October 18, 2001 -- The American Physiological
Society (APS) kicks off a special series entitled, “Highlighted Topics on
Gender Differences in Physiology,” beginning with the October 2001 edition
of the Journal of Applied Physiology, the Society’s flagship publication.
The October issue offers the following examination:
Gender Differences in Cardiovascular
Regulation During Recovery From Exercise
Robert Carter III and his colleagues at the Department of Integrative
Physiology and Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of North Texas
Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX. write “Gender Differences in
Cardiovascular Regulation During Recovery From Exercise.” The researchers
examine the influence of gender differences on cardiovascular responses
during recovery from dynamic exercise in humans.
Background and Study
Several studies have reported that women have a lower tolerance to
various orthostatic challenges at rest compared to men. In addition, some
studies have suggested that the mechanisms regulating arterial pressure in
women are less responsive compared with men. Accordingly, it has been
suggested that men may respond to orthostatic challenges with greater
sympathetic stimulation to the peripheral vasculature compared with women,
whereas women respond with greater vagally mediated increases in heart rate.
Presumably, these mechanisms also play an important role in arterial
pressure maintenance when exercise is stopped. Because women exhibit less
orthostatic tolerance than men at rest, women may be more susceptible to
postexercise orthostatic hypertension.
Results and Conclusions
The results of the present study support the hypothesis that women
exhibit a greater decrease in arterial pressure during recovery from
exercise compared with men. Furthermore, the physiological difference that
explains the greater postexercise decrease in arterial pressure in women
involves relatively greater reductions in cardiac output and lesser
increases in vascular resistance during the initial recovery from exercise.
In addition, the results of the present study confirm previous studies that
found a significant benefit of very light activity (e.g., engaging the
muscle pump) in supporting arterial pressure during recovery from exercise,
regardless of gender.
-end-
The American Physiological
Society (APS) was founded in 1887 to foster basic and applied science, much
of it relating to human health. The Bethesda, MD-based Society has more than
10,000 members and publishes 3,800 articles in its 14 peer-reviewed journals
every year.
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Editor’s Note: To receive a copy of the abstracts, to interview speakers or
for more information, contact Donna Krupa at 703.527.7357(direct dial),
703.967.2751 (cell) or djkrupa1@aol.com.
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