Investigating the role and response of the human vasculature in the adaptive response to stressful exercise

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Although the role of human vascular system appears straightforward as a simple transporter of blood, its form and function are actually highly complex. In order to appropriately control blood flow and adequately supply other parts of the human body the vasculature has the ability to adapt its size and stiffness, both in the short term to address immediate demand, and more chronically to adapt to the body's ongoing signals. How and why these changes actually occur is incompletely understood, particularly in regard to the effects of human physical activity. Current evidence suggests that changes in the stiffness and size of human arteries can be affected by the overall volume,type, intensity, frequency and duration of physical activity, but the relative influence of individual (or combined) factors is unclear. It is also unclear how different types of exercise may affect the vasculature in different regions of the body, such as arteries in the working appendage versus arteries closer to the heart. Changes in the form and function of the central vasculature has effects on almost all other organ systems in the body, particularly the heart, and can affect how efficiently these organ systems operate. On a broader scale, the changes in the properties of our arteries can have implications for human function and capacity in general.