ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Physiol.
Sec. Vascular Physiology
Peripheral and Central Vascular, Physical Fitness, Lifestyle, and Body Composition Characteristics in Middle-Aged and Older Diver Fishermen Reveal an Association Between Shear Rate with Lower-Limb Physical Fitness Vascular Characteristics of South American Coast Border Diver Fishermen Are Predicted From Lower Limb Physical Fitness
Provisionally accepted
- 1Universidad de Los Lagos, Osorno, Chile
- 2Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile
- 3Andres Bello University, Santiago, Chile
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Objectives: To describe vascular, physical fitness, lifestyle, and body composition characteristics of middle-aged and older-adult diver fishermen. Secondly, to associate vascular outcomes with physical fitness (upper and lower limb)., and cardiorespiratory fitness. Methods: A descriptive pilot study was performed in middle-aged (MA-DF, n = 11, BMI 29.9±4.9, Mean arterial pressure [MAP] 103.9±6.2 mmHg) and older-adult diver fishermen (OA-DF, n = 11, BMI 28.5±2.7, MAP 111.8±9.6 mmHg). In each Bbrachial (BA) and common carotid artery (CCA) the diameter (DBA; DBA, DCCA), peak systolic velocity (PSVBA; PSVCCA), end diastolic velocityPSVCCA), end diastolic velocity (EDVBA,; EDVCCA), shear rate (SRBA, ; SRCCA), resistance index (RIBA, ; RICCA), pulsatility index (PIBA, ; PICCA), Reynolds number (ReBA; ReCCA), physical fitness of upper (handgrip strength right (HGSRA), left (HGSLA), and average (HGSAV) and lower limb fitness (Ruffier test) were main outcomes, while other vascular ankle brachial index, pulse wave velocity, carotid-intima average and maximum, augmentation index, ejection duration, body composition (segmental and total parameters by dual-X absorptiometry) and lifestyle were secondary outcomes. Results: tThere were no vascular (i.e., BA or CCA), body composition, or lifestyle differences between groups. MA-DF group showed superior physical fitness in the upper (HGSRA 48.1±6.2 vs. 39.8±6.4 kg; HGSLA 46.7±5.9 vs. 39.5±6.3 kg, both P<0.05) and lower limb fitness (Ruffier Test 23.2±5.3 vs. 15.5±2.4 Rrepetitions, p=0.0006) vs. OA-DF group. Significant associations were found between SRBA with Ruffier Test (p=0.003) and between SRCCA with Ruffier Test (p=0.042). Lower limb physical fitness was significantly associated with PSVBA (R2 48.5% prediction; P<0.001), SRBA (R2 49.8% prediction; P<0.001) and PSVCCA (R2 31.3% prediction; P=0.019) and SRCCA (R2 30.9% prediction; P=0.025). Conclusion: Despite similar vascular, lifestyle, and body composition profiles, middle-aged and older diver fishermen displayed marked differences in upper-and lower-limb physical fitness. Importantly, lower-limb physical fitness, as assessed by the Ruffier Test, emerged as a robust correlate of vascular SR in both the BA and CCA, highlighting its potential relevance to peripheral and central vascular function.Middle-aged and older adult DF show similar vascular, lifestyle and body composition but different upper and lower limb physical fitness characteristics.
Keywords: Body Composition, Carotid Intima-Media Thickness, Dual X Ray Absorptiometry, handgrip strength, Peak systolic velocity, pulse wave velocity
Received: 07 Nov 2025; Accepted: 02 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Véliz Burgos, Pereira, Dörner Paris, Andrade and Alvarez. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Cristian Alvarez
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