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Clinical Trials/NCT05451641
NCT05451641
Completed
Not Applicable

The Effect of Blood Flow Restriction Resistance Training on Vascular Function: Wide-Rigid Cuffs vs. Narrow-Elastic Bands

University of Texas at Austin1 site in 1 country26 target enrollmentSeptember 20, 2022

Overview

Phase
Not Applicable
Intervention
Not specified
Conditions
Endothelial Function
Sponsor
University of Texas at Austin
Enrollment
26
Locations
1
Primary Endpoint
Change from baseline vascular function at 2 weeks
Status
Completed
Last Updated
last year

Overview

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of blood flow restriction (BFR) resistance training on vascular function. The investigators aim to compare the effects of different BFR devices (wide-rigid cuffs and narrow elastic bands) on vascular function. The investigators hypothesize that BFR resistance training with wide-rigid cuffs might have a minor negative effect (short-term and reversible) on vascular function, while BFR resistance training with narrow-elastic bands may improve vascular function. Both training methods are equally effective in increasing muscle strength.

Detailed Description

Blood flow restriction (BFR) resistance training has been proven to be effective in increasing muscle mass and strength. During BFR training, cuffs (similar to blood pressure cuffs) are placed on the proximal ends of the extremities to partially occlude arterial blood flow to the working muscles and fully restrict venous outflow from the working muscle. The metabolites produced by the working muscle during exercise are trapped in the working muscle, which causes metabolic stress to augment muscle adaptation. Typically, two types of cuffs are used in the BFR training: the narrow-elastic bands and wide-rigid nylon cuffs adapted from surgical tourniquets and blood pressure cuffs. Currently, the effect of BFR training on vascular function remains unclear. When the cuffs are removed after BFR training, there will be a reactive hyperemic blood flow to wash out all the metabolites produced during exercise. This reactive hyperemic blood flow also will impose shear stress on the arterial vessel wall. The shear stress will lead to an increase in vasodilator factors, which lead to an improvement in vascular function. However, other studies have pointed out that BFR training might cause a negative effect on vascular function when the occlusion pressure was too high. The possible mechanisms of the negative effect might be ischemia-reperfusion injury and retrograde shear stress in the artery. The wide-rigid cuffs are easily available but have the potential to inhibit the expansion of muscle upon increased blood flow accompanying exercise and muscle contraction while the narrow-elastic bands do not prevent the expansion. To the investigators' best knowledge, there is no study directly comparing different BFR cuffs on vascular function. Thus, the aim of the present study is to compare the effects of different BFR cuffs on vascular function (evaluated by flow-mediated dilation, a non-invasive measure of endothelial-derived vasodilation).

Registry
clinicaltrials.gov
Start Date
September 20, 2022
End Date
September 19, 2024
Last Updated
last year
Study Type
Interventional
Study Design
Parallel
Sex
All

Investigators

Responsible Party
Sponsor

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

  • Apparently healthy, sedentary or recreationally active young adults aged between 18 - 40 years old and signed the informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria

  • A current COVID-19 diagnosis
  • morbid obesity
  • hypertension
  • overt cardiovascular disease
  • using any medication that might affect the cardiovascular system
  • current participation in resistance training.

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Change from baseline vascular function at 2 weeks

Time Frame: Baseline measurement and measurement at 2 weeks

Flow-mediated dilation evaluated by an ultrasound machine

Change from baseline muscle strength at 2 weeks

Time Frame: Baseline measurement and measurement at 2 weeks

Measured by a cable machine in the gym

Change from baseline grip strength at 2 weeks

Time Frame: Baseline measurement and measurement at 2 weeks

Measured by a hand dynamometer

Secondary Outcomes

  • Blood flow responses to different types of cuff(At 2 weeks)
  • Change from baseline body fat percentage at 2 weeks(Baseline measurement and measurement at 2 weeks)
  • Change from baseline blood lactate concentration(At 10 minutes before the training sessions (baseline measurement) and at 10 minutes after the training sessions)
  • Change from baseline fat mass at 2 weeks(Baseline measurement and measurement at 2 weeks)
  • Change from baseline lean body mass at 2 weeks(Baseline measurement and measurement at 2 weeks)
  • Changes from baseline heart rate at the end of each exercise during all the training sessions(At 10 minutes before the training sessions (baseline measurement), at 10 minutes, 20 minutes, and 30 minutes during the training sessions)
  • Change from baseline blood pressure at the end of each exercise during all the training sessions(At 10 minutes before the training sessions (baseline measurement), at 10 minutes, 20 minutes, and 30 minutes during the training sessions)
  • Change from baseline arterial stiffness at 2 weeks(Baseline measurement and measurement at 2 weeks)
  • Change of the perceived exertion(At 10 minutes, 20 minutes, and 30 minutes during the training sessions)

Study Sites (1)

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