Background: Remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) has been shown to minimize subsequent ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) while obesity has been suggested as a factor that may attenuate the efficacy of RIPC in animal models. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the effect of a single bout of RIPC on vascular and autonomic response after IRI in obese. Method: 16 healthy young male participants (8 obese, 8 normal weight) underwent two experimental trials: RIPC (5 min ischemia at 180 mmHg + 5 min reperfusion, 3 cycles on the left thigh) and SHAM (the same RIPC cycles at diastolic pressure) following IRI (20 min ischemia at 180 mmHg + 20 min reperfusion on the right thigh). Heart rate variability (HRV), blood pressure (SBP/DBP), heart rate (HR), pulse wave velocity (PWV), and cutaneous blood flow (CBF) were measured between baseline, post-RIPC/SHAM, and post-IRI. Results: RIPC significantly improved LF/HF ratio (p = .027). SBP (p = .047), MAP (p = .049), CBF (p = .001), cutaneous vascular conductance (p = .003) and resistance (p = .001), and sympathetic reactivity (SBP: p = .039) after IRI. In addition, obesity did not attenuate the positive effects of RIPC on the measured outcomes. Conclusion: A single bout of RIPC is an effective means of suppressing subsequent IRI. At least in young adult men, obesity does not significantly attenuate the efficacy of RIPC.
