Figure 2.

Chronic adaptations of blood vessels to exercise. Repeated hemodynamic stimuli due to regular exercise training can lead to better compliance and regulation of blood pressure in conduit arteries as well as in the small vessels. In addition, the vascular adaptations lead to a better capacity for oxygen delivery and diffusion from the capillaries to the skeletal muscle cells and possibly contribute to improvements in exercise capacity. Regular exercise can prevent and/or reverse age-related endothelial dysfunction in both the macro- and microvascular circulation by increasing Nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability, improving intracellular redox balance and mitochondrial health, and lowering systemic inflammation. Overall, these adaptations can reduce the atherosclerotic burden in large vessels and favorably alter the microvascular function in healthy individuals and in individuals with cardiovascular disease. GLUT4: Glucose transporter type 4.