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Nutrients
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Nutrition and Exercise Interventions on Vascular Function and Adaptation
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Nutrition and Exercise Interventions on Vascular Function and Adaptation

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition and Public Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 October 2025 | Viewed by 18276

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Catarina Rendeiro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
Interests: physical exercise; vascular function; cerebrovascular brain health; nutrition

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nutrition and exercise are inextricably linked to vascular health, morbidity and mortality.  Dietary practices can have significant acute and chronic effects on the vascular tree and can lay the groundwork for future vascular disease or for the prevention of vascular disease.

The purpose of this Special Issue, “The Effects of Nutrition and Exercise Intervention on Vascular Function and Adaptation,” is to address significant gaps in our knowledge of the effects of exercise and diet on improving peripheral vascular function, cerebrovascular function and mental health across different populations and throughout the lifespan.

Dr. Catarina Rendeiro
Guest Editor

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • nutrition
  • exercise
  • vascular function
  • diet
  • sports nutrition

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 1759 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Cocoa Flavanols in Modulating Resting Cerebral Blood Flow During Prolonged Sitting in Healthy Young and Older Adults
by Alessio Daniele, Samuel J. E. Lucas and Catarina Rendeiro
Nutrients 2025, 17(13), 2099; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17132099 - 24 Jun 2025
Viewed by 321
Abstract
Background: Sitting is highly prevalent among young and older adults and can transiently reduce cerebral blood flow. Dietary flavanols confer benefits to the peripheral vasculature and may be effective at counteracting the impact of sitting in the cerebrovasculature. The aim of this study [...] Read more.
Background: Sitting is highly prevalent among young and older adults and can transiently reduce cerebral blood flow. Dietary flavanols confer benefits to the peripheral vasculature and may be effective at counteracting the impact of sitting in the cerebrovasculature. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the acute ingestion of flavanols prior to sitting improves common carotid artery (CCA) blood flow/shear rate (BF/SR) in young and older individuals. Methods: Two acute randomized, double-blinded, cross-over, placebo-controlled studies were conducted in 40 healthy young males (high-fit: 22.2 ± 2.9 yr., low-fit: 23.2 ± 4.1 yr., N = 20 per group) and 20 healthy older adults (72.4 ± 5.0 yr.). Participants consumed either a high- (695 mg) or low-flavanol (5.6 mg) cocoa beverage just before a 2 h sitting bout. Resting CCA retrograde/anterograde BF and SR, as well as arterial diameter, were assessed before and after the intervention. Results: Sitting reduced anterograde BF and/or SR in young and older individuals (p < 0.001) but only resulted in increases in retrograde BF (p = 0.021) and SR (p = 0.022) in the older group. Flavanols did not affect anterograde BF/SR in either group (p > 0.05) but mitigated (non-significant interaction: p = 0.053) sitting-induced increases in retrograde BF/SR in older individuals, with retrograde BF (p = 0.028) and SR (p = 0.033) increasing significantly only after intake of the low-flavanol beverage. No changes in arterial diameter were detected. Conclusions: This suggests that flavanols may have the potential to attenuate the detrimental sitting-induced increases in retrograde BF and SR in older adults, although larger well-powered studies are required to confirm this. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition and Exercise Interventions on Vascular Function and Adaptation)
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13 pages, 834 KiB  
Article
Life’s Simple 7 and Risk of Peripheral Artery Disease: Results from the PREDIMED Study and an Updated Meta-Analysis
by Nieves López-Laguna, Estefanía Toledo, María S. Hershey, Nancy Babio, José V. Sorlí, Emilio Ros, Miguel Ángel Muñoz, Ramón Estruch, José Lapetra, Carlos Muñoz-Bravo, Miquel Fiol, Inmaculada Bautista-Castaño, Xavier Pinto, Carolina Ortega-Azorín, Javier Hernando-Redondo, Jordi Salas-Salvadó, Lucas Tojal-Sierra, Miguel A. Martínez-González and Miguel Ruiz-Canela
Nutrients 2025, 17(13), 2058; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17132058 - 20 Jun 2025
Viewed by 212
Abstract
Background: Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a major vascular condition often overlooked in prevention strategies. We aimed to evaluate the association between cardiovascular health, measured by Life’s Simple 7 (LS7), and the risk of PAD in a high-risk Mediterranean population. Methods: This prospective [...] Read more.
Background: Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a major vascular condition often overlooked in prevention strategies. We aimed to evaluate the association between cardiovascular health, measured by Life’s Simple 7 (LS7), and the risk of PAD in a high-risk Mediterranean population. Methods: This prospective analysis included 7122 participants from the PREDIMED study (Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea) at high cardiovascular risk but free of cardiovascular disease at baseline. LS7 scores (0–14 points) were calculated using seven metrics: smoking status, body mass index, physical activity, blood pressure, total cholesterol, glucose metabolism, and adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Participants were categorized into inadequate (0–5), average (6–8), and optimal (9–14) cardiovascular health. Multivariable Cox regression models and Nelson–Aalen curves assessed the association between LS7 and PAD incidence over a median 4.8-year follow-up. A meta-analysis combining these results with three prior studies was also performed. Results: A total of 87 incident PAD cases were identified. Compared to participants with inadequate cardiovascular health, those with average and optimal LS7 scores exhibited significantly lower PAD risk (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0.37; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.22–0.61, and HR 0.25; 95% CI: 0.10–0.65, respectively). Each one-point increase in the LS7 score (range 0 to 14) was associated with an 22% lower PAD risk (HR 0.78; 95% CI: 0.68–0.90). The meta-analysis yielded a pooled HR of 0.81 (95% CI: 0.76–0.87), confirming consistent inverse associations across populations. Conclusions: Greater adherence to LS7 metrics is associated with a significantly reduced risk of PAD in high-risk Mediterranean individuals. Promoting LS7 adherence may represent an effective strategy for preventing both cardiovascular disease and PAD. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition and Exercise Interventions on Vascular Function and Adaptation)
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20 pages, 330 KiB  
Article
Chronotype, Lifestyles, and Anthropometric and Biochemical Indices for Cardiovascular Risk Assessment Among Obese Individuals
by Margarida Rabaça Alexandre, Rui Poínhos, CRI-O Group, Bruno M. P. M. Oliveira and Flora Correia
Nutrients 2025, 17(11), 1858; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17111858 - 29 May 2025
Viewed by 626
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Obesity is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease, yet traditional risk assessment methods may overlook behavioral and circadian influences that modulate metabolic health. Chronotype, physical activity, sleep quality, eating speed, and breakfast habits have been increasingly associated with cardiometabolic outcomes. This study [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Obesity is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease, yet traditional risk assessment methods may overlook behavioral and circadian influences that modulate metabolic health. Chronotype, physical activity, sleep quality, eating speed, and breakfast habits have been increasingly associated with cardiometabolic outcomes. This study aims to evaluate the associations between these behavioral factors and both anthropometric and biochemical markers of cardiovascular risk among obese candidates for bariatric surgery. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a sample of 286 obese adults (78.3% females, mean 44.3 years, SD = 10.8, mean BMI = 42.5 kg/m2, SD = 6.2) followed at a central Portuguese hospital. Chronotype (reduced Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire), sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), physical activity (Godin–Shephard Questionnaire), eating speed, and breakfast skipping were assessed. Cardiovascular risk markers included waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio, A Body Shape Index (ABSI), Body Roundness Index, atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), triglyceride–glucose index (TyG), and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Results: Men exhibited significantly higher WHR, ABSI, HOMA-IR, TyG, and AIP. Eveningness was associated with higher insulin (r = −0.168, p = 0.006) and HOMA-IR (r = −0.156, p = 0.011). Poor sleep quality was associated with higher body fat mass (r = 0.151, p = 0.013), total cholesterol (r = 0.169, p = 0.005) and LDL cholesterol (r = 0.132, p = 0.030). Faster eating speed was associated with a higher waist circumference (r = 0.123, p = 0.038) and skeletal muscle mass (r = 0.160, p = 0.009). Conclusions: Male sex, evening chronotype, and poor sleep quality were associated with more adverse cardiometabolic profiles in individuals with severe obesity. These findings support the integration of behavioral and circadian factors into cardiovascular risk assessment strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition and Exercise Interventions on Vascular Function and Adaptation)
22 pages, 614 KiB  
Article
The Relationship Between Dietary Patterns, Cognition, and Cardiometabolic Health in Healthy, Older Adults
by Felicity M. Simpson, Alexandra Wade, Ty Stanford, Maddison L. Mellow, Clare E. Collins, Karen J. Murphy, Hannah A. D. Keage, Montana Hunter, Nicholas Ware, Daniel Barker, Ashleigh E. Smith and Frini Karayanidis
Nutrients 2024, 16(22), 3890; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16223890 - 14 Nov 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2847
Abstract
Background: Healthy dietary patterns can support the maintenance of cognition and brain health in older age and are negatively associated with cardiometabolic risk. Cardiometabolic risk factors are similarly important for cognition and may play an important role in linking diet to cognition. Aim: [...] Read more.
Background: Healthy dietary patterns can support the maintenance of cognition and brain health in older age and are negatively associated with cardiometabolic risk. Cardiometabolic risk factors are similarly important for cognition and may play an important role in linking diet to cognition. Aim: This study aimed to explore the relationship between dietary patterns and cognition and to determine whether cardiometabolic health markers moderate these relationships in older adulthood. Design: A cross-sectional analysis of observational data from the baseline of the ACTIVate study. Participants: The cohort included 426 cognitively normal adults aged 60–70 years. Methods: The Australian Eating Survey (AES) Food Frequency Questionnaire was used to collect data on usual dietary intake, along with additional questions assessing intake of dietary oils. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to reduce the dimensionality of dietary data. Cardiometabolic risk was quantified using the metabolic syndrome severity score (MetSSS). Tests from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) were used to derive composite scores on four cognitive domains: processing speed, executive function, short-term memory, and long-term memory. Results: Three dietary patterns were identified using PCA: a plant-dominant diet, a Western-style diet, and a meat-dominant diet. After controlling for age, sex, total years of education, energy intake, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), there was a small, negative association between the meat-dominant diets and long-term memory. Subsequent moderation analysis indicated that MetSSS significantly moderated this relationship. Conclusions: Findings highlight the link between diet, cardiometabolic health, and cognitive function in older, cognitively healthy adults. However, longitudinal studies are needed to confirm observations and evaluate the dynamics of diet, cardiometabolic health, and cognitive function over time. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition and Exercise Interventions on Vascular Function and Adaptation)
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20 pages, 1412 KiB  
Article
Beneficial Effects of Cocoa Flavanols on Microvascular Responses in Young Men May Be Dependent on Ethnicity and Lifestyle
by Hassan M. Latif, Sophie R. Richardson and Janice M. Marshall
Nutrients 2024, 16(17), 2911; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16172911 - 31 Aug 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1287
Abstract
Cocoa flavan-3-ols affect endothelium-dependent responses in resistance vessels and microcirculation has received little attention. We tested the effects of dark chocolate consumption (396 mg total flavanols/day for 3 days) in two Groups of 10 men (18–25 years; non-smokers) each comprising equal numbers of [...] Read more.
Cocoa flavan-3-ols affect endothelium-dependent responses in resistance vessels and microcirculation has received little attention. We tested the effects of dark chocolate consumption (396 mg total flavanols/day for 3 days) in two Groups of 10 men (18–25 years; non-smokers) each comprising equal numbers of White European (WE) and South Asian (SA) ethnicity. In Group 1, dark chocolate did not affect reactive hyperaemia in forearm muscle, but augmented muscle dilatation evoked by acute mental stress, and reactive hyperaemia and acetylcholine (ACh)-evoked dilatation in cutaneous microcirculation. Conversely, in Group 2, chocolate did not affect cutaneous reactive hyperaemia or ACh-evoked dilatation, but these responses were blunted in Group 1 relative to Group 2. Further, when Groups 1 and 2 were combined, responses were blunted in SAs relative to WEs, augmented by chocolate in SAs only. In Group 2 individuals whose ACh-evoked dilatation was attenuated by nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibition, ACh-evoked dilatation was not altered after chocolate, but the attenuating effect of NOS inhibition was lost. Conversely, in Group 2 individuals whose ACh-evoked dilatation was enhanced by NOS inhibition, ACh-evoked dilatation was also augmented by chocolate. We propose that in resistance and microvessels of young men, cocoa flavan-3-ols preferentially augment endothelium-dependent dilator responses whose responses are depressed by familial and lifestyle factors more prevalent in SAs than Wes. Flavan-3-ols may facilitate the NOS pathway but also influence other endothelium-dependent dilators. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition and Exercise Interventions on Vascular Function and Adaptation)
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15 pages, 1327 KiB  
Article
Fat Consumption Attenuates Cortical Oxygenation during Mental Stress in Young Healthy Adults
by Rosalind Baynham, Samuel J. E. Lucas, Samuel R. C. Weaver, Jet J. C. S. Veldhuijzen van Zanten and Catarina Rendeiro
Nutrients 2023, 15(18), 3969; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15183969 - 14 Sep 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3987
Abstract
Mental stress has been associated with cardiovascular events and stroke, and has also been linked with poorer brain function, likely due to its impact on cerebral vasculature. During periods of stress, individuals often increase their consumption of unhealthy foods, especially high-fat foods. Both [...] Read more.
Mental stress has been associated with cardiovascular events and stroke, and has also been linked with poorer brain function, likely due to its impact on cerebral vasculature. During periods of stress, individuals often increase their consumption of unhealthy foods, especially high-fat foods. Both high-fat intake and mental stress are known to impair endothelial function, yet few studies have investigated the effects of fat consumption on cerebrovascular outcomes during periods of mental stress. Therefore, this study examined whether a high-fat breakfast prior to a mental stress task would alter cortical oxygenation and carotid blood flow in young healthy adults. In a randomised, counterbalanced, cross-over, postprandial intervention study, 21 healthy males and females ingested a high-fat (56.5 g fat) or a low-fat (11.4 g fat) breakfast 1.5 h before an 8-min mental stress task. Common carotid artery (CCA) diameter and blood flow were assessed at pre-meal baseline, 1 h 15 min post-meal at rest, and 10, 30, and 90 min following stress. Pre-frontal cortex (PFC) tissue oxygenation (near-infrared spectroscopy, NIRS) and cardiovascular activity were assessed post-meal at rest and during stress. Mental stress increased heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and PFC tissue oxygenation. Importantly, the high-fat breakfast reduced the stress-induced increase in PFC tissue oxygenation, despite no differences in cardiovascular responses between high- and low-fat meals. Fat and stress had no effect on resting CCA blood flow, whilst CCA diameter increased following consumption of both meals. This is the first study to show that fat consumption may impair PFC perfusion during episodes of stress in young healthy adults. Given the prevalence of consuming high-fat foods during stressful periods, these findings have important implications for future research to explore the relationship between food choices and cerebral haemodynamics during mental stress. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition and Exercise Interventions on Vascular Function and Adaptation)
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Review

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15 pages, 897 KiB  
Review
Coffee and Cardiovascular Health: A Review of Literature
by Altaf Farraj, TiJesu Akeredolu, Anisha Wijeyesekera and Charlotte E. Mills
Nutrients 2024, 16(24), 4257; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16244257 - 10 Dec 2024
Viewed by 7875
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide and is on the rise. Diet is considered to be a key modifiable risk factor for reducing the incidence of cardiovascular disease. Dietary approaches have proved advantageous for preventing disease morbidity and mortality but [...] Read more.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide and is on the rise. Diet is considered to be a key modifiable risk factor for reducing the incidence of cardiovascular disease. Dietary approaches have proved advantageous for preventing disease morbidity and mortality but tend to focus on fruit, vegetables, fiber, lean protein and healthy fats. Coffee is one of the most popular beverages worldwide but is often surrounded by controversy with regard to its impact on health. This review aims to explore the relationship between coffee consumption and cardiovascular disease. The evidence from observational trials as well as randomized controlled trials is discussed. By focusing on specific bioactive compounds in coffee, potential mechanisms are explored, and future directions of research in the field are considered. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition and Exercise Interventions on Vascular Function and Adaptation)
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