%0 Journal Article
%T Exercise and the Aging Endothelium
%A Saeid Golbidi
%A Ismail Laher
%J Journal of Diabetes Research
%D 2013
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2013/789607
%X The endothelium plays a critical role in the maintenance of cardiovascular health by producing nitric oxide and other vasoactive materials. Aging is associated with a gradual decline in this functional aspect of endothelial regulation of cardiovascular homeostasis. Indeed, age is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and is in part an important factor in the increased exponential mortality rates from vascular disease such as myocardial infarction and stroke that occurs in the ageing population. There are a number of mechanisms suggested to explain age-related endothelial dysfunction. However, recent scientific studies have advanced the notion of oxidative stress and inflammation as the two major risk factors underlying aging and age-related diseases. Regular physical activity, known to have a favorable effect on cardiovascular health, can also improve the function of the ageing endothelium by modulating oxidative stress and inflammatory processes, as we discuss in this paper. 1. Introduction The global population, especially those in developed countries, is getting older and this trend is predicted to continue in the coming decades [1, 2]. Some have defined aging as a decreased ability to resist cellular stresses or insults [3, 4], and in fact, aging is one of the most important cardiovascular risk factors for predisposing conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia. Accordingly, the incidence and prevalence of clinical and subclinical cardiovascular diseases increase dramatically with age [2], making cardiovascular disease the most common cause of death among the elderly. The endothelium has a primary role in adjusting vascular function by the production of nitric oxide (NO) and other biologically active vasodilator materials [5] that decrease vascular resistance, inhibit platelet adhesion and aggregation, and decrease vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation. Alterations in the control of these processes, a feature of endothelial dysfunction, often leads to atherosclerosis and other vascular disorders [6] that are accompanied by a proinflammatory, proliferative, and procoagulatory state [7]. The endothelium is ideally placed to bear the brunt of hemodynamic stresses, oxidized lipids, and oxidative radicals, all of which increase their vulnerability to aging [8]. Chronic aerobic exercise improves cardiovascular function in humans. This is true not only in healthy subjects without underlying risk factors [9], but also in older people [10] and those with cardiovascular risk factors [11]. Indeed, those with
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jdr/2013/789607/