Exercise protects the cardiovascular system: effects beyond traditional risk factors

In humans, exercise training and moderate to high levels of physical activity are protective against cardiovascular disease. In fact they are ∼40% more protective than predicted based on the changes in traditional risk factors (blood lipids, hypertension, diabetes etc.) that they cause. In this re...

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Published inThe Journal of physiology Vol. 587; no. 23; pp. 5551 - 5558
Main Authors Joyner, Michael J., Green, Daniel J.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford, UK The Physiological Society 01.12.2009
Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Blackwell Science Inc
Subjects
Animals
Autonomic Nervous System - physiology
Cardiovascular Diseases - epidemiology
Cardiovascular Diseases - mortality
Cardiovascular Diseases - prevention & control
Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena
Endothelium, Vascular - innervation
Endothelium, Vascular - physiology
Exercise - physiology
Humans
Nitric Oxide - physiology
Sympathetic Nervous System - physiology
Symposium Section Reviews: Physiological Regulation Linked with Physical Activity and Health
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Summary:In humans, exercise training and moderate to high levels of physical activity are protective against cardiovascular disease. In fact they are ∼40% more protective than predicted based on the changes in traditional risk factors (blood lipids, hypertension, diabetes etc.) that they cause. In this review, we highlight the positive effects of exercise on endothelial function and the autonomic nervous system. We also ask if these effects alone, or in combination, might explain the protective effects of exercise against cardiovascular disease that appear to be independent of traditional risk factor modification. Our goal is to use selected data from our own work and that of others to stimulate debate on the nature and cause of the ‘risk factor gap' associated with exercise and physical activity.
Bibliography:The Journal of Physiology
which took place at the 36th International Congress of Physiological Sciences in Kyoto, Japan on 31 July 2009. It was commissioned by the Editorial Board and reflects the views of the authors.
This review was presented at
Physiological regulation linked with physical activity and health
Symposium on
ObjectType-Article-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-3
content type line 23
ObjectType-Review-1
This review was presented at The Journal of Physiology Symposium on Physiological regulation linked with physical activity and health, which took place at the 36th International Congress of Physiological Sciences in Kyoto, Japan on 31 July 2009. It was commissioned by the Editorial Board and reflects the views of the authors.
ISSN:0022-3751
1469-7793
DOI:10.1113/jphysiol.2009.179432