Vagal modulation and aging [An article from: Biological Psychology]

This digital document is a journal article from Biological Psychology, published by Elsevier in 2007. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
Cardiovascular disease accounts for approximately 30% of all deaths worldwide, and will only worsen as the world's population ages. It is well-established that age, per se, is a major risk factor and contributor to all cardiovascular morbidities and mortalities. However, environmental factors, including a lack of exercise, appear to play a critical role in the onset and progression of cardiovascular disease. This paper reviews the literature on cardiac variability and aging and addresses risk factors associated with aging that can be modified and possibly attenuate the decline of heart rate variability with aging, including exercise training to increase vagal modulation. Thus, results of the studies described in this review support a potential benefit of increasing or maintaining fitness in order to slow the decline of parasympathetic control of HR with normal aging.