Chronic Passive Heat Exposure and Cardiometabolic Health in Obese Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

dc.contributor.advisorMinson, Christopher
dc.contributor.authorEly, Brett
dc.date.accessioned2018-09-06T21:58:42Z
dc.date.available2018-09-06T21:58:42Z
dc.date.issued2018-09-06
dc.description.abstractPolycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a complex endocrine disorder that increases a woman’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Women with PCOS have extremely high rates of obesity, insulin resistance, cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Obese women with PCOS also tend to have elevated sympathetic nerve activity and systemic markers of inflammation, which likely contribute to cardiometabolic risk and PCOS pathogenesis. While few medication or lifestyle intervention options for women with PCOS target elevated sympathetic nerve activity, inflammation, and insulin resistance, passive heat exposure shows promise as a novel intervention for improving cardiovascular and metabolic health in this population. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine changes in inflammation, cardiovascular, autonomic, and metabolic health in obese women with PCOS following a 30-session, 8-10 week chronic passive heat intervention (termed ‘heat therapy’). Eighteen obese women with PCOS (Age: 27±1y, BMI 41.3±1.1 kg·m2) were matched for age and body mass index (BMI), then divided into heat therapy (HT) or time control (CON). At the beginning (Pre), middle (Mid), and end (Post) of 8-10 weeks, subjects participated in study days to assess vascular, autonomic, and metabolic function, and additionally underwent a subcutaneous fat biopsy in Pre and Post. HT subjects took part in 30 one-hour hot tub sessions over 8-10 weeks (3-4 per week) in 40.5˚C water, while CON subjects completed all other testing but were not exposed to heat. No change in BMI was observed over the study in HT or CON; however; HT subjects exhibited dramatically improved vascular and metabolic function, as well as reduced sympathetic nerve activity and circulating inflammatory markers. In fat biopsies, insulin signaling was improved in HT subjects, while CON subjects remained stable over time. These findings show promise for HT as a treatment option for obese women with PCOS to improve cardiovascular and metabolic risk profiles. This dissertation includes previously published co-authored material.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1794/23772
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherUniversity of Oregon
dc.rightsAll Rights Reserved.
dc.subjectAutonomicen_US
dc.subjectCardiometabolic healthen_US
dc.subjectHeat therapyen_US
dc.subjectObesityen_US
dc.subjectPolycystic ovary syndromeen_US
dc.subjectThermal therapyen_US
dc.titleChronic Passive Heat Exposure and Cardiometabolic Health in Obese Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
dc.typeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation
thesis.degree.disciplineDepartment of Human Physiology
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Oregon
thesis.degree.leveldoctoral
thesis.degree.namePh.D.

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