Effects of acute footbath before and after glucose ingestion on arterial stiffness

The present study investigated the acute effect of a footbath on increases in arterial stiffness after glucose ingestion in healthy young women. Nine healthy young women (aged 18.4 ± 0.2 years; mean ± SE) completed three trials in random order. They started a footbath before 75-g oral glucose ingestion, a footbath after 75-g oral glucose ingestion and no footbath (control) trials. Aortic (carotid–femoral) and leg (femoral–ankle) pulse wave velocity, the carotid augmentation index, carotid, brachial and ankle blood pressure, heart rate, blood glucose levels, insulin levels and sublingual temperature were measured before (baseline) and at 15, 30, 60 and 90 min after the 75-g oral glucose ingestion. Aortic pulse wave velocity and brachial systolic blood pressure did not change from baseline to after the 75-g oral glucose ingestion in all trials. Leg pulse wave velocity and ankle systolic blood pressure were increased from baseline to after the 75-g oral glucose ingestion in the footbath after glucose ingestion and control trials, but not in the footbath before glucose ingestion trial. These results suggest that a footbath effectively suppresses the increase in leg arterial stiffness after glucose ingestion when implemented before glucose ingestion.