*2.1. Participants*

Participants were healthy postmenopausal women aged 51–74 years. All participants had absence of menstruation for at least 1 year and were sedentary (<120 min/week of exercise). Potential participants were excluded if they had diagnosed cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), type 2 diabetes, a body mass index > 34.9 kg/m2, brachial BP > 150/90 mmHg, consumed > 7 alcoholic drinks per week, and used tobacco, hormone replacement therapy, or dietary supplements with vasodilatory and/or antioxidant effects. The rationale for excluding women with a BP > 150/90 mmHg and > 7 alcoholic drinks was the increased CVD risk associated with these levels [35,36]. The study was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT04672447) and the protocol was approved by the Texas Tech University Institutional Review Board.
