Exercise and women's health

Exercise, in general, induces a state of cardiovascular vagal predominance, which is beneficial to health. This area of research is especially important in relation to the neurohormonal influences on cardiovascular function in health and disease in women, due to the complex interactions that occur during puberty, menstrual cycles, pregnancy and menopause. The literature relating menopause to increased cardiovascular mortality underscores the importance of hormonal mechanisms on cardiovascular autonomic function. However, there are only a few systematic studies in this area, especially in relation to the use of non-invasive measures such as beat-to-beat heart rate and QT interval variability, and blood pressure variability. These studies are extremely important especially in relation to pregnancy and menopause. We have highlighted some of the important differences in cardiovascular function between men and women. We also examine some of the theoretical models of using exercise as a preventive tool to increase relative cardiac vagal function and decrease relative cardiac sympathetic function in women. Hormone replacement therapy, once widely used is not popular any more due to serious side effects including uterine cancer and thromboembolic phenomena leading to cardiovascular mortality. We discuss future directions of research which might yield valuable information on autonomic function during various stages of development in women.

Physical exercise influences many systems in the human body, of which cardio vascular and respiratory systems deserve special attention. In this commentary, we have made an attempt to briefly highlight the periods of vulnerability in females during different stages of development and how they might influence the health of females, and how exercise can have a beneficial effect. In simple terms, physical exercise improves the oxygen consumption by the lungs, decreases the heart rate, improves vagal function of the heart, which may decrease relative sympathetic activity. The end result is mostly likely a decrease in the incidence cardiovascular mortality and serious ventricular tachy-arrhythmias.