Physical exercise as treatment and prevention of cardiovascular diseases

Abstract

Physical exercise has proven to be an important therapy in the treatment of heart disease, diabetes and obesity. The purpose of this review was to describe the cardioprotective effect of aerobic exercise. The main adaptations of aerobic training are increased maximum cardiac output, allowing greater filling of the ventricles and a consequent greater stroke volume; the muscle’s perfusion capacity is increased, allowing greater oxygen release; the arteries, arterioles and capillaries adapt in structure and number; artery diameters increase, minimizing flow resistance. All of these adaptations lead to a decrease in the risk of death from cardiovascular diseases, which are the main cause of death in the world, physical exercise can be used as an adjunct in non-drug treatment and in the prevention of diseases of the cardiovascular system.