Does exercise improve autonomic nervous system function and alleviate cardiovascular disease risk?
Exercise interventions, including moderate and high-intensity interval training, improve autonomic nervous system function and the cardiac neurovascular interface, highlighting the potential for personalized exercise prescriptions to reduce CVD risk.
Owing to the aging global population, cardiovascular disease (CVD) has become the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The aging process is closely associated with cardiac neurovascular interface deterioration, particularly autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysfunction, which has profound effects on cardiovascular health. Recent studies have suggested that long-term moderate exercise can improve ANS function and alleviate CVD risk. This review evaluates the effects of exercise on the cardiac neurovascular interface and ANS function, with a particular focus on the distinct roles of aerobic and anaerobic exercise on cardiac health. Research has shown that exercise significantly enhances heart rate variability, improves autonomic regulation of the heart, and reduces oxidative stress and inflammation, thereby improving cardiac function and reducing the incidence of CVD. Specifically, high-intensity interval exercise and combination training incorporating both aerobic and anaerobic exercise improve the cardiac neurovascular interface and promote cardiac repair. However, while the benefits of exercise are widely recognized, understanding of the factors such as individual differences, exercise intensity, and exercise type needs to be improved to optimize the effectiveness of exercise interventions. Thus, future research should focus on personalized exercise interventions and the identification of biomarkers, such as microRNAs, to enhance the effectiveness of exercise intervention as a clinical treatment strategy.
Zhao et al. (Tue,) studied this question.