Purpose: Vascular endothelial dysfunction is an early marker of atherosclerosis characterized by decreased nitric oxide bioavailability in the vascular endothelium and smooth muscle cells. Recently, some animal models and in vitro trials demonstrated that excessive superoxide production from mitochondria within vascular endothelial cells played a role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis in type 2 diabetes. This review provides a systematic assessment of the effectiveness of exercise to identify effective approaches to recognize diabetes risk and prevent progression to heart disease.
Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted to retrieve articles from 1979 to 2013 using the following databases: the MEDLINE, PubMed. Articles had to describe an intervention that physical activity and exercise to identify effective approaches to heart and vascular endothelium.
Results: Currently, physical activity and exercise guidelines aimed to improve cardiovascular health in patients with type 2 diabetes are nonspecific. Benefit of aerobic exercise training on vascular endothelial function in type 2 diabetic patients is still controversial.
Conclusion: it is necessary to demonstrate the mechanism of endothelial dysfunction from live human tissues so that we can provide more specific exercise training regimens to enhance cardiovascular health in type 2 diabetic patients.
Keywords: Type 2 diabetes; exercise training; flow-mediated dilation; nitric oxide; oxidative stress; vascular endothelial function.