Anthropometric, clinical and functional data of the subjects, randomised into two groups: exercise and control
| Exercise | Control | p-value | |
| Subjects n | 10 | 10 | |
| Age years | 70±9 | 70±7 | 0.85 |
| BMI kg·m−2 | 29±6 | 28±4 | 0.42 |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index score | 4±1 | 4±1 | 0.83 |
| Laboratory parameters | |||
| Total cholesterol mg·dL−1 | 217±55 | 209±34 | 0.74 |
| HDL mg·dL−1 | 71±32 | 53±11 | 0.17 |
| Glucose mg·dL−1 | 99±13 | 104±6 | 0.42 |
| Smokers | |||
| Ex-smokers | 6 (60%) | 9 (90%) | |
| Current smokers | 3 (30%) | 1 (10%) | |
| Exposure pack-years | 50±28 | 41±19 | 0.40 |
| Respiratory function | |||
| FEV1 % pred | 56±13 | 62±13 | 0.33 |
| Physical activity | |||
| Average METs per day | 1.14±0.16 | 1.26±0.16 | 0.11 |
| Steps per day | 4712±3035 | 6534±2702 | 0.17 |
| Exercise capacity | |||
| 6MWT m | 351±66 | 398±49 | 0.09 |
| Blood pressure mmHg | |||
| Systolic/diastolic blood pressure at t0 | 140±20¶/80±7+ | 133±9/ 79±5 | 0.30/0.70 |
| Systolic/diastolic blood pressure at t1 | 130±14¶/74±6+ | 131± 9/ 78±5 | 0.85/0.09 |
| Endothelial function test | |||
| t0 | |||
| Baseline artery diameter mm | 3.9±0.7 | 4.4±0.6 | 0.13 |
| FMD# % | 3.7±1.1 | 4.5±0.9 | 0.08 |
| Time to peak s | 57±3 | 60±6 | 0.29 |
| t1 | |||
| Baseline artery diameter mm | 3.7±0.8 | 4.4±0.5 | 0.05 |
| FMD# % | 6.7±2.2 | 4.1±0.9 | 0.003 |
| Time to peak s | 55±4 | 61±6 | 0.03 |
| ΔFMD t1−t0 | +3.04±1.97 | −0.37±0.73 | 0.00007 |
Data are presented as mean±sd unless otherwise stated. BMI: body mass index; HDL: high-density lipoprotein; FEV1: forced expiratory volume in 1 s; MET: metabolic equivalent of task; 6MWT: 6-min walking test; t0: baseline; t1: 8 weeks; FMD: flow-mediated dilation. #: corrected for baseline diameter; ¶: p=0.003 (at t0 versus t1); +: p=0.009 (at t0 versus t1).