Ricardo Luiz Damatto, et al. Marcelo Diarcadia Mariano Cezar, Priscila Portugal dos Santos
Physical exercise is currently recommended for health promotion and as a non-pharmacological treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Regular exercise results in improved body composition and physical capacity, as well as decreased insulin resistance and arterial hypertension, leading to ameliorated quality of life.
During exercise, heat is a by-product of metabolism, which leads to increased body temperature. However, the human body needs to maintain a stable temperature, around 37ºC, using neural and cardiovascular mechanisms. The temperature-regulating center is found in the anterior hypothalamus. It receives information on the ambient temperature, through the skin thermoreceptors, and on the internal temperature, through the hypothalamic thermoreceptors. Thus, the hypothalamus promotes appropriate responses of heat generation or dissipation, which involve arteriovenous redistribution of blood. Therefore, individuals with cardiovascular comorbidities such as type II diabetes, hypercholesterolemia and arterial hypertension may present impairment of thermoregulation mechanisms.
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