Intrinsic and Extrinsic Contributors to the Cardiac Benefits of Exercise

Exercise‐induced changes in left ventricular strain are affected by interleukin‐6 activity: An exploratory analysis of a randomised‐controlled trial in humans with abdominal obesity

“…The improvement in LV GLS by exercise training is suggested to be attributed, at least in part, to an increase in cardiomyocyte size (Bass‐Stringer et al., 2021 ) combined with an increase in numbers of functional sarcomere units (Hastings et al., 2023 ) and increased Ca 2+ sensitivity in the myofilaments (Wisløff et al., 2001 ), which improves contractile function following exercise training. Whether IL‐6 activity plays a role on the myocardium is not fully understood, but IL‐6 is an anabolic molecule which has been shown to be essential for regulating skeletal muscle hypertrophy in mice following an exercise load (Serrano et al., 2008 ).…”

Cardiac Risks in Long Distance Runners

“…Routine regular exercise is highly effective in the prevention and treatment of several diseases. It provides a broad range of beneficial effects on many cardiovascular risk factors including lowering blood pressure, improving glucose metabolism and lipid profile, lowering resting heart rate, maintaining normal body weight, reducing emotional stress, and decreasing inflammation, among others [4,5]. All these beneficial effects protect the heart against age-related damage.…”

“…All these beneficial effects protect the heart against age-related damage. Regular exercise decreases the incidence of coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, venous thromboembolism, and cancer decreasing all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality [4,5]. These beneficial effects can be seen with as little as 15 min of moderate exercise a day and occur in a dose-related fashion up to approximately 1 h of vigorous exercise a day, but exceeding this threshold does not provide additional benefit and potentially may be harmful [1,6,7].…”