Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index (CAVI) And Leisure-Time Physical Activity In Men With Type 1 Diabetes: 1996 Board #257 May 31 2 00 PM - 3 30 PM

Diabetes is known to amplify the vascular changes that result in arterial stiffening. Individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D) may also have impaired cardiorespiratory fitness which may influence their leisure-time physical activity (LTPA). Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index (CAVI) is a noninvasive method used to assess arterial stiffness. Currently there are few studies investigating the relationship between arterial stiffness and LTPA in individuals with T1D. PURPOSE: To determine CAVI and its associations with LTPA and cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2max) in young men with T1D. METHODS: As a part of a larger study investigating early signs of cardiovascular disease in T1D 12 men with T1D (33±7 y, 181±7 cm, 81±11 kg, T1D duration 13±7 y) and 17 healthy age- and anthropometry-matched men (CON) (33±6 y, 181±5 cm, 83±10 kg) participated in the study. CAVI was assessed using VaSera VS-1500 (Fukuda Denshi Co. Ltd., Tokyo, Japan). Self-reported LTPA (min/wk) was obtained through a questionnaire. The subjects also performed incremental cycling exercise test until volitional fatigue to determine maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max). Group comparisons were made using independent samples t-test and relationships were determined using Pearson correlation coefficient. All parameters are presented as mean ± SD. RESULTS: CAVI was higher in T1D (7.1±0.5 for right, 7.1±0.4 for left) compared to CON (6.5±0.6 for right, 6.4±0.6 for left) (p<0.01). LTPA did not differ between the groups, whereas VO2max was lower in T1D than in CON (35.9±4.8 ml/kg/min vs. 42.7±7.5 ml/kg/min, p<0.05). LTPA was inversely associated with right CAVI (r=-0.72, p<0.01) and left CAVI (r=-0.68, p<0.05) in T1D but not in CON. VO2max was not associated with CAVI in T1D or in CON. CONCLUSIONS: Young men with T1D have increased arterial stiffness determined by CAVI which may be an early sign of cardiovascular disease. Our finding of the inverse association between CAVI and LTPA in men with T1D suggests that LTPA may be especially important in modifying arterial stiffness in T1D.