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Exercise and Cardiovascular Protection

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Physical Exercise for Human Health

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 1228))

Abstract

Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that exercise training not only reduces cardiovascular disease risk but also provides direct endogenous cardiovascular protection. The mechanisms that have been proposed to be responsible for exercise-induced cardioprotection include intrinsic myocardial changes such as increased cytosolic antioxidant capacity and altered mitochondrial phenotype, myokine-mediated metabolic and anti-inflammatory effects in the cardiovascular system, and systemic effects on the cardiovascular system via interorgan cross talk. There remains much to be elucidated in the mechanisms for exercise-afforded cardioprotection. This chapter reviews exercise-induced acute and chronic responses in cardiovascular system, the epidemiological evidence of exercise training and cardiorespiratory fitness in the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases, and the current understanding of the mechanisms of exercise-induced cardiovascular protective effects.

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Acknowledgment

This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81670253 to F Gao) and Major Basic Science Program of Shaanxi Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (2016ZDJC-17 to F Gao).

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Li, G., Li, J., Gao, F. (2020). Exercise and Cardiovascular Protection. In: Xiao, J. (eds) Physical Exercise for Human Health. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 1228. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-1792-1_14

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