Relationships between flexibility, arterial stiffening and the sympathetic nervous system

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The present study tested the following hypothesis : (1) a stretching intervention for 6 months will attenuate arterial stiffening ; and (2) the sympathetic nervous system mediates the relationship between flexibility and arterial stiffness. The results suggest that (1) improving flexibility induced by stretching exercise attenuates arterial stiffening with aging ; and (2) that this relationship between flexibility and arterial stiffening might not be mediated by the sympathetic nervous system. Although the present study failed to clarify the mechanisms for the relationship between flexibility and arterial stiffness, this study indicates a possibility that flexibility exercise should be integrated as a new recommendation into the known cardiovascular benefit of regular exercise.