Introduction: Hyperglycaemia or related factors lead to micro and macrovascular complications. Our aim was to relate changes in aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV) with glucose flux during a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Our null hypothesis was that aPWV does not change significantly during the OGTT.

Methods: 72 pre-menopausal women (age 35.0, 33.5–36.5 years) underwent anthropometry and aPWV measurements at 0, 30 and 120min of an OGTT. aPWV was measured as speed of the aortic flow waveform between the (a) junction of the left subclavian artery and arch of the aorta and (b) bifurcation of the abdominal aorta by using Doppler probes.

Results: aPWV decreased by 30min during an OGTT by 8.6% (95% CI: 3.3–14.0%), p < 0.0001, but reverted by 2 hr (p = 0.16). In regression analysis, 30 min aPWV was affected by age (beta-0.13, p = 0.03), day in cycle (beta- −0.09, p = 0.008) and body fat percentage (beta - 0.1, p = 0.01) but not independently by other variables below nor fasting or 2 hour glucose; the 120 min aPWV was affected by brachial pulse pressure (beta - 0.91, p = 0.03) and smoking exposure (beta- −0.24, p = 0.045), and the fall in aPWV between fasting and 30 min by age (beta- 1.6, p = 0.05) and body fat percentage (beta - 1.8, p = 0.008).

Conclusions: Aortic function as assessed by aPWV changes during an OGTT, and its degree of change is primarily affected by age and adiposity, but not glycaemia.