Hello {{First Name|there}}, 

This week, we will dive deeper into why exercise is widely recommended for cardiovascular and metabolic health.

Physical activity does something fundamental:

→ It reshapes the body’s vascular network.

Through the process of angiogenesis, exercise can stimulate the growth and remodeling of blood vessels, supporting tissue function and disease prevention.

When you exercise, active tissues demand more oxygen. In response, blood vessels dilate to increase circulation, delivering greater amounts of oxygen and nutrients to working muscles.

As blood flow increases, endothelial cells experience shear stress, the frictional force created by moving blood against the vessel wall. This mechanical force activates angiogenic signals such as VEGF and nitric oxide (NO) production.

Together, these signals activate endothelial cell growth, migration, and capillary formation.

→ Over time, exercise helps expand the entire vascular network to supply active tissues.

Skeletal muscle 💪

With consistent exercise, muscles repeatedly demand more oxygen causing new capillaries to form around muscle fibers.

This increases capillary density, improving oxygen delivery, nutrient exchange, and removal of metabolic waste products. These adaptation improve endurance and muscular efficiency.

Brain 🧠

Exercise increases cerebral blood flow, improving oxygen and glucose delivery to neurons, neurovascular function, and support regions involved in memory and cognition.

Cardiovascular system 🩸

Exercise increases nitric oxide (NO) production, helping arteries relax and respond more effectively to changes in blood flow.

This is associated with Improved circulation and reduced arterial stiffness. These changes help support long-term vascular resilience.

As new capillaries form and blood flow improves, more insulin can physically reach muscle tissue from the bloodstream. This increases the amount of glucose transported into skeletal muscle cells, where it can be used for energy or stored as glycogen.

Muscle contractions during exercise also stimulate GLUT4 transporters to move to the cell surface, allowing muscle cells to absorb glucose more efficiently, independent of insulin.

At the same time, regular exercise lowers chronic inflammatory signaling by reducing excess visceral fat, improving endothelial function, and decreasing production of inflammatory molecules that can damage blood vessels over time.

Together, these help explain why regular physical activity lowers risk for:

Download our free guide to get three exercise that support angiogenesis and disease prevention.

→ As a reminder, all movement can be adapted to meet you where you are.

Even 5 minutes of stretching or walking is a meaningful place to start. Small, consistent efforts tend to produce better long-term results than occasional intense workouts.

Check out this weeks youtube video to see our mascot Dr. Angio bringing complex health and research topics to life.

Best wishes,
- The Angiogenesis Foundation

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Don’t miss our Angiogenesis Foundation Green Tea from Harney & Sons to support your vascular health.

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