by Jay Naik, University of New Mexico School of Medicine
The textbook, Cardiovascular Responses to Exercise written by Drs. Lusha Xiang Ph.D. and Robert Hester, Ph.D. is an informative review of the our current scientific understanding of the physiological responses to exercise. The authors are able to describe complex physiological principles in a writing style that is easily understandable and logically organized. The authors explain core concepts in exercise physiology, including the neural, cardiovascular, and respiratory responses to acute exercise, and integrate this foundational knowledge with recent experimental discoveries. The inclusion of a discussion of the effects of obesity and diabetes on the physiologic response to exercise is an important and timely addition. Illustrations included in the text are well made and easy to understand and supplement nicely the relevant discussion in the text. This textbook will serve as an excellent source material for those interested in the integrated physiological responses to exercise. The authors of this textbook are leaders in the field of exercise science. Their work has uncovered a number of fundamental mechanisms regarding blood flow control in skeletal muscle during exercise. I would like to congratulate the authors on their outstanding contribution the field of exercise science.