The Efficacy of Stretching Exercises on Arterial Stiffness in Middle-Aged and Older Adults

Vascular aging results in stiffer arteries and vascular endothelial dysfunction, and may have a role in the development of cardiovascular disease.  While aerobic exercise is known to significantly reduce large artery compliance, it does not affect arterial stiffness.

Stretching has been suggested to reduced arterial stiffness and improved endothelial function.

A review study  determined whether stretching exercises reduce arterial stiffness in middle-aged and older adults based on currently available studies. The study looked at the literature for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs. It identified 69 trials and, after an assessment of relevance, eight trials, including a combined total of 213 subjects, were analyzed.

Muscle stretching exercises were shown to significantly reduce arterial stiffness and improve vascular endothelial function

Resting heart rate (HR) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) decreased significantly after stretching exercise intervention

The study concluded that regular stretching performed over at least 4 weeks in middle-aged and advanced persons (here from at least 40 years of age) leads to a significant reduction in arterial stiffness, which is a vascular aspect that usually increases with age. This ’rejuvenation’ of the arteries is associated with a lower resting heart rate in users, lower diastolic blood pressure, and improved vascular endothelial function.

Dr Robert Schleip commented that

One does not need to be a prophet to predict from the robust findings reported here that this level of impact is likely to provide a significant and new boost to the future promotion and discussion of yoga and other stretching methods. This is primarily because cardiovascular disease constitutes the most common cause of death in our current lifestyle (i.e. more common than the sum of all cancers) and many times more common than all viral and bacterial infections combined). One of the driving factors for the increase in cardiovascular diseases in old age is the gradual stiffening of the arteries, which in turn is associated with arteriosclerosis and an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.