Cardiovascular Function Research Paper
Effects of Exercise on Cardiovascular Function
Fierra Harris
Saginaw Valley State University
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide that affects the heart and the surrounding vasculature (Mathers et al. 2009). CVD can be brought on by behavioral or inherited characteristics such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, family history, and a sedentary lifestyle (World Health Organization, 2013). These conditions and thus cardiovascular disease are prevalent among African American, Hispanic and other minority populations.
The underlying cause of cardiovascular disease is atherosclerosis, which is the buildup of plaque inside the arteries over many years. Plaque is made of various blood …show more content…
components, including fat and cholesterol that hardens with time and narrows the arteries, limiting oxygenated blood to parts of the body. As a result of plaque buildup, people are at a greater risk of succumbing to heart attacks and strokes. Those at risk of cardiovascular disease are recommended to cease smoking, healthier food choices, be physically active and lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
A routine of regular exercise can be highly effective for preventing, treating and improving cardiovascular (CV) health and longevity. Those that are physically active on a regular basis have lower rates of disability and an increased life expectancy by about seven years (O’Keefe et al. 2012). Physical activity is any bodily movement that causes energy expenditure. Exercise is a defined subset of physical activity with a planned, repetitive, and structured goal of maintaining physical fitness (Shepard et al. 1999).
Middle aged subjects were given biological markers and underwent cognitive testing and stress testing to determine the effects that intervention, exercise and a healthy life style has on cardiovascular, metabolism, and cognitive function in adults with type II diabetes. Participants had an increase in cardiovascular fitness and decreased body mass index. Significant changes in heart rate, systolic or diastolic blood pressure were not detected (Fiocco et al. 2013).
Traditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease contribute to about fifty percent of all new cardiovascular disease cases, meaning that other factors, such as psychological stress play a role in cardiovascular disease (Chida and Steptoe, 2010). A group completed a 12 week high intensity exercise (HIIE) program to measure the cardiovascular and autonomic response through mental and physical challenge in males. As expected, reduced body weight and waist circumference were observed. A 17 percent increase in aerobic fitness levels indicate that high intensity exercise significantly increases aerobic power in both males and females. Exercisers showed a decrease in arterial stiffness and increase in baroreceptor sensitivity response. High intensity exercise training showed a change in baseline levels of heart rate, rate pressure product, stroke volume, and arterial stiffness (Heydari et. al 2013). Time is often the major reason for not exercising but the brief high intensity exercise program, usually an hour a week could attract individuals and get involved in improving cardiovascular health. The HIIE 12 week program found an overall change in aerobic fitness, body weight and enhanced cardiovascular efficiency. Exercise training alone has proven to alter an individuals’ likelihood to develop cardiovascular disease however, vigorous periods of exercise have been reported to increase atrial fibrillation. Individuals with moderate intense exercise were at a lower risk for atrial fibrillation than those with no regular exercise. Participants that walked between 5 to 60 blocks per week generally had a much lower risk for developing atrial fibrillation compared to those that walked at a pace of 2 to 3 miles per hour. Increased physical activity was associated with lower blood pressure, heart rate and cholesterol levels (Mozaffarian et al. 2008). Obese teens were given lifestyle education, moderate-intensity and high-intensity physical training over eight months. Physical fitness was offered five days a week with a target energy output of 1047 kilojoules per session. The goal was to determine if exercise intensity had an effect on the cardiovascular fitness, percent body fat (%BF) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT). As expected, the cardiovascular fitness for obese teens in the high intensity exercise group improved, as well as a decrease in percent body fat and visceral adipose tissue compared to those that just received the lifestyle education. No differences were found among those who were not a part of the moderate or high intensity training groups. Therefore, the favorable increase in fitness and decrease in VAT are the result of the physical training alone. The results suggest that to improve cardiovascular health among obese teens vigorous exercise should be advised for as long as they can sustain (Gutin et al. 2002). Elevated exercise blood pressure levels are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The purpose of the study was to determine how aerobic exercise would affect exercise blood pressure in obese postmenopausal women. Subjects were placed in one of four groups responsible for maintaining certain levels of energy expenditure per week over six months. There was significant reduction in systolic blood pressure and waist circumference in all of the experimental groups, however no reductions in body weight. Only the group responsible for the highest energy expenditure per week did see a reduction in diastolic blood pressure. Aerobic exercise was found to significantly reduce both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in obese postmenopausal women. Moderate increases in aerobic activity can favorably reduce systolic exercise blood pressure if individuals are unable to exercise rigorously. Elevated systolic and diastolic exercise blood pressure have a 20 percent and 35 percent increased risk of cardiovascular disease, physicians should recommend a high dose of exercise when attainable for patients with elevated exercise blood pressure (Swift et al. 2012).
Other studies have observed how cholesterol can be changed after a high fat diet with just aerobic exercise training. High fat diets have been blamed for the development of obesity. The aim of the study was to explore whether physically inactive and overweight people, if fed a high saturated fat diet will develop insulin resistance and if aerobic exercise can reverse those changes. Overweight individuals had a dietary intake and exercise restrictions that needed to be met. In the group with the dietary restrictions and exercise, the low density lipoprotein cholesterol was unchanged and there was a lowering in the systolic blood pressure (Ortega et al. 2012).
Not all of the effects of exercise on cardiovascular function are positive. People that run regularly at a long distance, fast pace and for an extended amount of time were not associated with better survival rates compared to those that do not. In a rodent model, rats ran continuously for one hour a day for sixteen weeks had both the left and right atria dilated brought on by excessive exercise training. It was concluded that the daily training showed “adverse cardiac structural remodeling”, meaning the shape and/or mass of the heart were altered the same results were found among humans tested under extreme endurance (O’Keefe, 2012).
In conclusion, the benefits of regular exercise hold a lot of value. A regular routine helps to control weight, health conditions and diseases, improves mood through the release of endorphins and sleep and boost energy. Physicians often recommend thirty minutes a day to begin feeling better and seeing many of these benefits however, if looking to lose weight or maintain specific goals a longer exercise period is recommended. Once people begin chronic exercise these health benefits are no longer at their disposal instead, individuals’ hearts are placed at great risk. Based on the several studies performed using animals and humans, it has been concluded that to avoid diminishing the effects of exercise and causing cardiovascular problems individuals should limit themselves to not more than one hour of vigorous exercise training daily. The “Guidelines for Physical Activity and Public Health from the American Heart Association and American College of Sports Medicine” provides a lot of helpful information regarding how frequent and long individuals should exercise. Two and a half hours of moderately paced physical activity per week or an hour and fifteen minutes of strenuous activity per week is recommended for adults. Subjects at risk for chronic heart disease should exercise between thirty and sixty minutes daily, while those previously obese looking to avoid weight regain should fit in about sixty to ninety minutes of exercise per day. Overall, people should not be discouraged about regular exercise. Physical activity is still beneficial to the health of all people but just as with any other treatment should be done in moderation to avoid the negative effects of prolonged exercising.
Chida, Y., & Steptoe, A. (2010). Greater cardiovascular responses to laboratory mental stress are associated with poor subsequent cardiovascular risk status a meta-analysis of prospective evidence. Hypertension, 55(4), 1026-1032.
Currie, K. D. (2012). Effects of acute and chronic low-volume high-intensity interval exercise on cardiovascular health in patients with coronary artery disease.
Fiocco, A. J., Scarcello, S., Marzolini, S., Chan, A., Oh, P., Proulx, G., & Greenwood, C. (2013). The Effects of an Exercise and Lifestyle Intervention Program on Cardiovascular, Metabolic Factors and Cognitive Performance in Middle-Aged Adults with Type II Diabetes: A Pilot Study. Canadian journal of diabetes, 37(4), 214-219.
Gutin, B., Barbeau, P., Owens, S., Lemmon, C.
R., Bauman, M., Allison, J., ... & Litaker, M. S. (2002). Effects of exercise intensity on cardiovascular fitness, total body composition, and visceral adiposity of obese adolescents. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 75(5), …show more content…
818-826.
Heydari, M., Boutcher, Y.
N., & Boutcher, S. H. (2013). The effects of high-intensity intermittent exercise training on cardiovascular response to mental and physical challenge. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 87(2), 141-146.
Mozaffarian, D., Furberg, C. D., Psaty, B. M., & Siscovick, D. (2008). Physical activity and incidence of atrial fibrillation in older adults the cardiovascular health study. Circulation, 118(8), 800-807.
Ortega, J. F., Fernández-Elías, V. E., Hamouti, N., & Mora-Rodriguez, R. (2012). Increased blood cholesterol after a high saturated fat diet is prevented by aerobic exercise training. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 38(999), 42-48.
Shephard, R. J., & Balady, G. J. (1999). Exercise as cardiovascular therapy. Circulation, 99(7), 963-972.
Swift, D. L., Earnest, C. P., Katzmarzyk, P. T., Rankinen, T., Blair, S. N., & Church, T. S. (2012). The effect of different doses of aerobic exercise training on exercise blood pressure in overweight and obese postmenopausal women. Menopause (New York, NY), 19(5), 503.
World Health Organization, & UNAIDS. (2007). Prevention of cardiovascular disease. World Health
Organization.
Fierra Harris
Saginaw Valley State University
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide that affects the heart and the surrounding vasculature (Mathers et al. 2009). CVD can be brought on by behavioral or inherited characteristics such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, family history, and a sedentary lifestyle (World Health Organization, 2013). These conditions and thus cardiovascular disease are prevalent among African American, Hispanic and other minority populations.
The underlying cause of cardiovascular disease is atherosclerosis, which is the buildup of plaque inside the arteries over many years. Plaque is made of various blood …show more content…
components, including fat and cholesterol that hardens with time and narrows the arteries, limiting oxygenated blood to parts of the body. As a result of plaque buildup, people are at a greater risk of succumbing to heart attacks and strokes. Those at risk of cardiovascular disease are recommended to cease smoking, healthier food choices, be physically active and lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
A routine of regular exercise can be highly effective for preventing, treating and improving cardiovascular (CV) health and longevity. Those that are physically active on a regular basis have lower rates of disability and an increased life expectancy by about seven years (O’Keefe et al. 2012). Physical activity is any bodily movement that causes energy expenditure. Exercise is a defined subset of physical activity with a planned, repetitive, and structured goal of maintaining physical fitness (Shepard et al. 1999).
Middle aged subjects were given biological markers and underwent cognitive testing and stress testing to determine the effects that intervention, exercise and a healthy life style has on cardiovascular, metabolism, and cognitive function in adults with type II diabetes. Participants had an increase in cardiovascular fitness and decreased body mass index. Significant changes in heart rate, systolic or diastolic blood pressure were not detected (Fiocco et al. 2013).
Traditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease contribute to about fifty percent of all new cardiovascular disease cases, meaning that other factors, such as psychological stress play a role in cardiovascular disease (Chida and Steptoe, 2010). A group completed a 12 week high intensity exercise (HIIE) program to measure the cardiovascular and autonomic response through mental and physical challenge in males. As expected, reduced body weight and waist circumference were observed. A 17 percent increase in aerobic fitness levels indicate that high intensity exercise significantly increases aerobic power in both males and females. Exercisers showed a decrease in arterial stiffness and increase in baroreceptor sensitivity response. High intensity exercise training showed a change in baseline levels of heart rate, rate pressure product, stroke volume, and arterial stiffness (Heydari et. al 2013). Time is often the major reason for not exercising but the brief high intensity exercise program, usually an hour a week could attract individuals and get involved in improving cardiovascular health. The HIIE 12 week program found an overall change in aerobic fitness, body weight and enhanced cardiovascular efficiency. Exercise training alone has proven to alter an individuals’ likelihood to develop cardiovascular disease however, vigorous periods of exercise have been reported to increase atrial fibrillation. Individuals with moderate intense exercise were at a lower risk for atrial fibrillation than those with no regular exercise. Participants that walked between 5 to 60 blocks per week generally had a much lower risk for developing atrial fibrillation compared to those that walked at a pace of 2 to 3 miles per hour. Increased physical activity was associated with lower blood pressure, heart rate and cholesterol levels (Mozaffarian et al. 2008). Obese teens were given lifestyle education, moderate-intensity and high-intensity physical training over eight months. Physical fitness was offered five days a week with a target energy output of 1047 kilojoules per session. The goal was to determine if exercise intensity had an effect on the cardiovascular fitness, percent body fat (%BF) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT). As expected, the cardiovascular fitness for obese teens in the high intensity exercise group improved, as well as a decrease in percent body fat and visceral adipose tissue compared to those that just received the lifestyle education. No differences were found among those who were not a part of the moderate or high intensity training groups. Therefore, the favorable increase in fitness and decrease in VAT are the result of the physical training alone. The results suggest that to improve cardiovascular health among obese teens vigorous exercise should be advised for as long as they can sustain (Gutin et al. 2002). Elevated exercise blood pressure levels are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The purpose of the study was to determine how aerobic exercise would affect exercise blood pressure in obese postmenopausal women. Subjects were placed in one of four groups responsible for maintaining certain levels of energy expenditure per week over six months. There was significant reduction in systolic blood pressure and waist circumference in all of the experimental groups, however no reductions in body weight. Only the group responsible for the highest energy expenditure per week did see a reduction in diastolic blood pressure. Aerobic exercise was found to significantly reduce both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in obese postmenopausal women. Moderate increases in aerobic activity can favorably reduce systolic exercise blood pressure if individuals are unable to exercise rigorously. Elevated systolic and diastolic exercise blood pressure have a 20 percent and 35 percent increased risk of cardiovascular disease, physicians should recommend a high dose of exercise when attainable for patients with elevated exercise blood pressure (Swift et al. 2012).
Other studies have observed how cholesterol can be changed after a high fat diet with just aerobic exercise training. High fat diets have been blamed for the development of obesity. The aim of the study was to explore whether physically inactive and overweight people, if fed a high saturated fat diet will develop insulin resistance and if aerobic exercise can reverse those changes. Overweight individuals had a dietary intake and exercise restrictions that needed to be met. In the group with the dietary restrictions and exercise, the low density lipoprotein cholesterol was unchanged and there was a lowering in the systolic blood pressure (Ortega et al. 2012).
Not all of the effects of exercise on cardiovascular function are positive. People that run regularly at a long distance, fast pace and for an extended amount of time were not associated with better survival rates compared to those that do not. In a rodent model, rats ran continuously for one hour a day for sixteen weeks had both the left and right atria dilated brought on by excessive exercise training. It was concluded that the daily training showed “adverse cardiac structural remodeling”, meaning the shape and/or mass of the heart were altered the same results were found among humans tested under extreme endurance (O’Keefe, 2012).
In conclusion, the benefits of regular exercise hold a lot of value. A regular routine helps to control weight, health conditions and diseases, improves mood through the release of endorphins and sleep and boost energy. Physicians often recommend thirty minutes a day to begin feeling better and seeing many of these benefits however, if looking to lose weight or maintain specific goals a longer exercise period is recommended. Once people begin chronic exercise these health benefits are no longer at their disposal instead, individuals’ hearts are placed at great risk. Based on the several studies performed using animals and humans, it has been concluded that to avoid diminishing the effects of exercise and causing cardiovascular problems individuals should limit themselves to not more than one hour of vigorous exercise training daily. The “Guidelines for Physical Activity and Public Health from the American Heart Association and American College of Sports Medicine” provides a lot of helpful information regarding how frequent and long individuals should exercise. Two and a half hours of moderately paced physical activity per week or an hour and fifteen minutes of strenuous activity per week is recommended for adults. Subjects at risk for chronic heart disease should exercise between thirty and sixty minutes daily, while those previously obese looking to avoid weight regain should fit in about sixty to ninety minutes of exercise per day. Overall, people should not be discouraged about regular exercise. Physical activity is still beneficial to the health of all people but just as with any other treatment should be done in moderation to avoid the negative effects of prolonged exercising.
Chida, Y., & Steptoe, A. (2010). Greater cardiovascular responses to laboratory mental stress are associated with poor subsequent cardiovascular risk status a meta-analysis of prospective evidence. Hypertension, 55(4), 1026-1032.
Currie, K. D. (2012). Effects of acute and chronic low-volume high-intensity interval exercise on cardiovascular health in patients with coronary artery disease.
Fiocco, A. J., Scarcello, S., Marzolini, S., Chan, A., Oh, P., Proulx, G., & Greenwood, C. (2013). The Effects of an Exercise and Lifestyle Intervention Program on Cardiovascular, Metabolic Factors and Cognitive Performance in Middle-Aged Adults with Type II Diabetes: A Pilot Study. Canadian journal of diabetes, 37(4), 214-219.
Gutin, B., Barbeau, P., Owens, S., Lemmon, C.
R., Bauman, M., Allison, J., ... & Litaker, M. S. (2002). Effects of exercise intensity on cardiovascular fitness, total body composition, and visceral adiposity of obese adolescents. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 75(5), …show more content…
818-826.
Heydari, M., Boutcher, Y.
N., & Boutcher, S. H. (2013). The effects of high-intensity intermittent exercise training on cardiovascular response to mental and physical challenge. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 87(2), 141-146.
Mozaffarian, D., Furberg, C. D., Psaty, B. M., & Siscovick, D. (2008). Physical activity and incidence of atrial fibrillation in older adults the cardiovascular health study. Circulation, 118(8), 800-807.
Ortega, J. F., Fernández-Elías, V. E., Hamouti, N., & Mora-Rodriguez, R. (2012). Increased blood cholesterol after a high saturated fat diet is prevented by aerobic exercise training. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 38(999), 42-48.
Shephard, R. J., & Balady, G. J. (1999). Exercise as cardiovascular therapy. Circulation, 99(7), 963-972.
Swift, D. L., Earnest, C. P., Katzmarzyk, P. T., Rankinen, T., Blair, S. N., & Church, T. S. (2012). The effect of different doses of aerobic exercise training on exercise blood pressure in overweight and obese postmenopausal women. Menopause (New York, NY), 19(5), 503.
World Health Organization, & UNAIDS. (2007). Prevention of cardiovascular disease. World Health
Organization.