An Observational Study on the Associations between Arterial Stiffness and Health-Related Physical Fitness in Young Adults

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between health-related physical fitness (HPF) and arterial stiffness, which was evaluated using skin autofluorescence (AF) to measure advanced glycosylation end products (AGEs) and pulse wave velocity (PWV). Methods: The 132 young adults aged 20–30 were recruited for this study. According to the National Physical Fitness Standards Manual, HPF was measured by the indicators that reflect the body composition, cardiopulmonary fitness, muscular fitness and flexibility. AGEs were evaluated through AF, which performed using a non-invasive detection system. PWV was measured by Pulse wave velocity measurement system. Spearman correlation analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were used for data analysis. Results: AF in young adults, whether male or female, was positively correlated with BMI and body fat (BF) (male: p = 0.013, p = 0.0004, female: p = 0.049, p = 0.015 with BMI and BF, respectively). AF in male young adults was negatively correlated with the cardiorespiratory endurance index (CEI) (p = 0.046). Multiple linear regression adjusted for age showed that AF and BF were positively correlated for only male young adults (p = 0.032). There was no significant correlation between the carotid-femoral or carotid-radial pulse wave velocity (CFPWV or CRPWV) and AF or any of the HPF indicators in the undergraduate participants (p > 0.05). Conclusion: BMI and body fat are the main factors affecting the risk of arterial stiffness in young adults, whether male or female. In addition, cardiorespiratory fitness is also the main factor for the risk of chronic disease in young male adults. It is suggested that young male adults should pay more attention to the exercise of cardiorespiratory fitness.