ETD

Archivio digitale delle tesi discusse presso l'Università di Pisa

Tesi etd-06272007-180215


Tipo di tesi
Tesi di dottorato di ricerca
Autore
Plantinga, Yvonne
URN
etd-06272007-180215
Titolo
The effects of physical activity, antioxidants and dietary intake on arterial stiffness and endothelial function in hypertensive and normotensive subjects
Settore scientifico disciplinare
MED/11
Corso di studi
FISIOPATOLOGIA MEDICA E FARMACOLOGIA
Relatori
Relatore Prof. Taddei, Stefano
Parole chiave
  • metabolic syndrome
  • hypertension
  • endothelial function
  • dietary intake
  • arterial stiffness
  • antioxidants
  • physical activity
Data inizio appello
30/03/2007
Consultabilità
Completa
Riassunto
This thesis describes that essential hypertension is a powerful predictor of cardiovascular disease, accompanied by endothelial dysfunction and increased arterial stiffness. In the studied population, the presence of the metabolic syndrome in patients with overt disease such as hypertension was not associated with ulterior increase in endothelial dysfunction or arterial stiffness. Furthermore, regular physical activity was associated only with a lower augmentation index in normotensive subject but not in hypertensive patients. We found an association between regular high intensity endurance exercise, antioxidant capacity and preserved endothelial function in healthy older men, confirming the important mechanism of antioxidant defenses against oxidative stress. In this line we also showed a beneficial effect of vitamin antioxidant supplementation on arterial stiffness and endothelial function in essential hypertensive patients after 8 weeks of vitamin C and E supplementation. This association was not observed in the evaluation of regular intake of antioxidants.
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