Sensitivity of Arterial Stiffness Indices to Aging and Physical Activity Interventions with and without Pressure Standardization

The current research explores the differential impacts of aging, physical activity, and hypertension on carotid arterial stiffness through markers β, which is pressure-dependent, and β₀, which is pressure-standardized. While both indices tend to show similar trends in behavior, β is more responsive to blood pressure variations, whereas β₀ better reflects intrinsic arterial stiffness. A total of 386 participants were assessed in this study, revealing that both markers increase with age and decrease with physical activity, thereby consolidating the beneficial effects of exercise in mitigating arterial stiffening. The effect of hypertension on the β index was shown to be more pronounced, such that hypertensive individuals demonstrated a steeper rise in β than in β₀. Regression analysis revealed that age, systolic blood pressure (PS), and diastolic blood pressure (PD) were independent predictors of both markers, with physical activity showing a strong negative association. After adjusting for blood pressure, the difference between hypertensive and normotensive subjects in β₀ was reduced, indicating its usefulness in assessing vascular stiffness independent of PS and PD. These findings further emphasize the complementary roles of β and β₀ in evaluating vascular health, particularly in aging and hypertensive individuals.