title: Four weeks of regular static stretching reduces arterial stiffness in middle-aged men.
abstract: Trunk flexibility may be associated with arterial stiffness in young, middle-aged, and older healthy men after adjusting for blood pressure. This study assessed the effects of 4 weeks of regular static stretching on arterial stiffness in middle-aged men. Sixteen healthy men (43 ± 3 years) were assigned to control or intervention groups (n = 8 each). The control group did not alter their physical activity levels throughout the study period. The intervention group participated in five supervised stretching sessions per week for 4 weeks. Each session comprised 30 min of mild stretching that moved the major muscle groups through the full range of motion and stretches were held three times for 20 s at the end range. Flexibility was assessed by sit-and-reach test. Arterial stiffness was assessed by brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI). Four weeks of stretching increased sit-and-reach (Control, Pre: 31.4 ± 2.1, Post: 30.8 ± 2.7 vs. Intervention, Pre: 30.6 ± 5.3, Post: 43.9 ± 4.3 cm), and reduced baPWV (Control, Pre: 1204 ± 25, Post: 1205 ± 38 vs. Intervention, Pre: 1207 ± 28, Post: 1145 ± 19 cm/s) and CAVI (Control, Pre: 7.6 ± 0.3, Post: 7.5 ± 0.3 vs. Intervention, Pre: 7.7 ± 0.2, Post: 7.2 ± 0.2 units) in the intervention group. However, the change in sit-and-reach did not significantly correlate with the changes in arterial stiffness. These findings suggest that short-term regular stretching induces a significant reduction in arterial stiffness in middle-aged men.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Engineering, Osaka Institute of Technology, 5-16-1 Ohmiya, Asahi-ku, Osaka, 535-8585 Japan.
authors.forename: Masato
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishiwaki
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Environmental Symbiotic Sciences, Prefectural University of Kumamoto, Kumamoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Haruka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yonemura
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Business, Sports Management Course, Hannan University, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazumichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kurobe
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Environmental Symbiotic Sciences, Prefectural University of Kumamoto, Kumamoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Naoyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
keywords: Arteriosclerosis; Brachial-ankle pulse-wave velocity; Cardio-ankle vascular index; Exercise; Flexibility; Sit-and-reach