Sitting and Endothelial Dysfunction

Is a stand-desk healthier for your arteries? Listen to this intriguing new podcast about endothelial dysfunction due to a reduction in blood flow and shear stress following prolonged periods of sitting. Associate Editor Nancy Kanagy (University of New Mexico School of Medicine) interviews lead author Jaume Padilla (University of Missouri) and guest expert Lee Stoner (Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand) about the work by Restaino et al, which utilized local heating to alleviate the normal reduction in shear stress that occurs with prolonged sitting in healthy male subjects. Did the heating protocol prevent post-sitting decreases in endothelium dilation? What do Padilla and colleagues speculate is the primary mechanistic pathway by which reduction in blood flow in shear stress results in an impairment in endothelium-dilation? What are the public health ripple effects here, in particular for spinal cord injury patients and people suffering from peripheral artery disease? We tackle these questions and more. Listen now.

Robert M. Restaino, Lauren K. Walsh, Takuma Morishima, Jennifer R. Vranish, Luis A. Martinez-Lemus, Paul J. Fadel, Jaume Padilla Endothelial dysfunction following prolonged sitting is mediated by a reduction in shear stress Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, published March 1, 2016, DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00943.2015.