During exercise, cardiac output may increase by more than 170% to meet the body’s increased O2 demands. This increase in cardiac output increases blood pressure. But the accompanying increase in arterial pressure is relatively small—only about 40%. What limits this increase in blood pressure so that it doesn’t reach dangerously high levels during exercise?a. Blood vessels shorten in the contracting skeletal muscles.
b. Blood volume decreases due to sweating.
c. Vasodilation causes arterial diameter to increase in the exercising skeletal muscle.
d. Hematocrit decreases as more interstitial fluid enters the blood vessels.