Cardiovascular Effects of Exercise

Abstract

When considering the cardiovascular effects of exercise, at least three different types must be considered: acute, resistance and chronic. In general, exercise is either aerobic or resistance; aerobic exercise is either acute or chronic (or exercise conditioning), and resistance exercise is either isotonic, isometric or isokinetic. These types of exercise are discussed in this chapter. While effects of exercise on arterial stiffness and central hemodynamics has been studied for more than half a century, many aspects remain unclarified. Aerobic exercise improves endothelial function of arteries and arterioles throughout the body. However, aerobic exercise of up to three months may not be effective in reducing arterial stiffness in older populations with hypertension as in healthy young adults. Exercise improves the way your body uses oxygen and has the most impact on your heart health. Examples of aerobic exercises include walking at a fast pace, jogging, riding a bike (outdoor or stationary), jumping rope, cross-country skiing, rowing, swimming and water aerobics. With these types of acute exercise, increase in heart rate is associated with a reduction in arterial diastolic pressure, reduction in aortic stiffness, reduction in aortic wave reflection, increase in central and brachial pulse pressure and a decrease in peripheral resistance. There is no doubt that regular exercise is beneficial for health and is associated with lower resting blood pressure and heart rate, less extreme changes in blood pressure and heart rate with a burst of activity, and lower morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular events. Over the last several years, exercise training has evolved into an established evidence-based therapeutic strategy with prognostic benefits in many cardiovascular diseases. Older heart failure patients have severely reduced exercise capacity, endothelial function and peak exercise oxygen uptake compared with age-matched healthy participants. Interval training and continuous training three times a week for 12 weeks equally improves aerobic exercise capacity and peripheral endothelial function in patients with CAD.