Nutritional Supplements and Cardiovascular Function in Athletes and Sedentary People

Dear Colleagues,

The endothelium is pivotal in maintaining various vascular functions, such as vascular reactivity to stimuli, coagulation, and inflammatory responses. Endothelial dysfunction underlies all cardiometabolic diseases (e.g., hypertension, diabetes mellitus, autoimmune diseases, and coronary heart disease). Although exercise benefits endothelial function and prevents or alleviates cardiovascular diseases, strenuous exercise can also lead to endothelial dysfunction and vascular/tissue damage. It is well documented that increased oxidative stress deleteriously affects endothelium-dependent vascular function by altering different metabolic pathways involved in vascular reactivity. On the other hand, different nutraceuticals with antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties can significantly impact vascular function and cardiovascular health. For professional athletes, appropriate nutrition is necessary to perform high physical and metabolic activity to match their increased energy and nutritional needs. Nutritional supplements, such as nutrients with antioxidative properties, may have a role in preparation for exercise, increasing the efficiency of exercise, supporting the recovery from exercise, and helping to prevent injury. This may help reduce exercise-induced inflammation. However, understanding physiological mechanisms at the cellular and molecular level of the effects of various nutritional supplements on cardiovascular health is still superficial. There is a need for controlled randomized studies of the effects of nutrients on cardiovascular health in athletes as well as in sedentary people in terms of preventive and potentially curative effects. There is much uncertainty about the doses, duration, and chronic effects of nutritional supplementation (in food or pharmaceutical remedies). Thus, this Special Issue review in original research articles performed in humans or experimental models on the effects of nutritional supplements or enriched food on cardiovascular health in athletes and sedentary persons are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Ines Drenjančević
Guest Editor

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• athletes
• sedentary
• eating habits
• nutrition
• endothelium
• microcirculation
• nutritional supplements
• oxidative stress
• antioxidants
• NRF2-signalling pathway
• functional food
• cardiovascular function
• prevention