Impact of l-citrulline supplementation and whole-body vibration training on arterial stiffness and leg muscle function in obese postmenopausal women with high blood pressure

Aging is associated with increased arterial stiffness (pulse wave velocity, PWV) and muscle strength/mass loss. Exercise training alone is not always effective to improve PWV and lean mass (LM) in older women. To investigate the independent and combined effects of whole-body vibration training (WBVT) and l-citrulline supplementation on PWV and muscle function in women, forty-one postmenopausal women aged 58 ± 3 years and body mass index (34 ± 2 kg/m2) were randomly assigned to the following groups: WBVT, l-citrulline, and WBVT + l-citrulline for 8 weeks. WBVT consisted of four leg exercises three times weekly. Aortic (cfPWV) and leg (faPWV) PWV, leg LM index, leg strength, and body fat percentage (BF%) were measured before and after the interventions. WBVT + l-citrulline decreased cfPWV (− 0.91 ± 0.21 m/s, P < 0.01) compared to both groups. All interventions decreased faPWV (P < 0.05) similarly. Leg LM index increased (2.7 ± 0.5%, P < 0.001) after WBVT + l-citrulline compared with l-citrulline. Both WBVT interventions increased leg strength (~ 37%, P < 0.001) compared to l-citrulline while decreased BF% (~ 2.0%, P < 0.01). Reductions in cfPWV were correlated with increases in leg LM index (r = − 0.63, P < 0.05). Our findings suggest that leg muscle strength and arterial stiffness can be improved after WBVT, but its combination with l-citrulline supplementation enhanced benefits on aortic stiffness and leg LM. Therefore, WBVT + l-citrulline could be an intervention for improving arterial stiffness and leg muscle function in obese postmenopausal women with prehypertension or hypertension, thereby reducing their cardiovascular and disability risk.