Time-efficient, high-resistance inspiratory muscle strength training for cardiovascular aging

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) remain the leading cause of death in developed and developing societies and aging is the primary risk factor for CVD. Much of the increased risk of CVD in midlife/older adults (i.e., adults aged 50 years and older) is due to increases in blood pressure, vascular endothelial dysfunction and stiffening of the large elastic arteries. Aerobic exercise training is an effective lifestyle intervention to improve CV function and decrease CVD risk with aging. However, <40% of midlife/older adults meet guidelines for aerobic exercise, due to time availability-related barriers and other obstacles to adherence. Therefore, there is a need for new lifestyle interventions that not only improve CV function with aging but also promote adherence. High-resistance inspiratory muscle strength training (IMST) is an emerging, time-efficient (5 min/day) lifestyle intervention. Early research suggests high-resistance IMST may promote adherence, lower blood pressure and potentially improve vascular endothelial function. However, additional investigation will be required to more definitively establish high-resistance IMST as a healthy lifestyle intervention for CV aging. This review will summarize the current evidence on high-resistance IMST for improving CV function with aging and will identify key research gaps and future directions.