Almost everyone wants the body of a dancer. Lean, long, supple, strong, and yes, very flexible. Apparently, it's also very likely that dancers - and people who engage in a lot of fluid movements that enhance flexibility, agility, poise, and strength - also enjoy robust cardiovascular systems. After all, dancers put in long hours of practice perfecting their art and are in their own right superb athletes.
A new study by Dr. Yamamoto and his team found that persons who have flexible "torsos" or "trunks" also have clean, elastic, healthy arteries. By comparison, sedentary individuals have stiff arteries that places them at risk for atherosclerosis - a disease characterized by the deposition of fatty plaques along walls of an artery(ies). Atherosclerosis increase one's risk for a heart attack or a stroke.
The Sit-and-Reach Test
To determine the association between flexibility and arterial suppleness, the researchers enrolled 526 healthy non-smoking adults aged 20-83 years with a body mass index of less than 30kg/m2. They then divided the cohort into three (3) groups:
- Group one consisted of subjects aged 20-39 years
- Group two included middle-aged persons ages 40-59 years and
- Group three was composed of individuals 60-83 years of age
The subjects were then asked to perform the "sit-and-reach test." Sitting on the floor with their backs against the wall, and legs straight, they were asked to put their arms forward and slowly reach as far as they can, towards their toes, by bending at the waist. The subjects were further classified as either having "poor" or "high" flexibility.The participants' blood pressures were also measured.
What the Results Mean
Their findings suggest that trunk flexibility was a good predictor of arterial stiffness among middle aged and older subjects, but not among the younger participants. They also found that systolic blood pressure (the peak pressure when the heart contracts) was higher in people with poor flexibility than in those with high flexibility. The researchers hypothesized that stretching exercises trigger physiological reactions that slows down age-related arterial stiffening. Inelastic, arteries are associated with advancing age and is considered a risk factor for atherosclerosis - a condition characterized by the deposition of fatty plaques along the walls of an artery(ies). Atheroscleroris increases one's risk for heart disease.
Other Trials
In an earlier investigation, Dr. Seals and his colleague found that people who exercised regularly have higher "nitric oxide" (NO) levels. Nitric oxide is a vasodilator produced by endothelial cells - cells that line walls of blood vessels. A vasodilator "dilates" blood vessels thereby improving blood flow. They also found higher activities of antioxidant enzyme e.g. superoxide dismutase which likely prevents the oxidation of LDL cholesterol. In addition, there is evidence of reduced activities and expression of the "pro-oxidant" enzyme NADPH oxidase. We have two arteries on each side of our necks. Two arteries (one on each side of the neck) supplies blood and nutrients to the face. The other two arteries( also one on each side of the neck) supplies food and blood to the brain. If these arteries supplying blood to the brain ever gets blocked, you'll have a stroke.
Dr Yamamoto said: "Together with our results, these findings suggest a possibility that improving flexibility induced by stretching exercises may be capable of modifying age-related arterial stiffness in middle-aged and older adults. We believe that flexibility exercises such as stretching, yoga, and Pilates should be integrated as a new recommendation into the known cardiovascular benefits of regular exercise."
Increasing evidence shows that habitual aerobic exercise is an effective strategy in the fight against arterial aging. If you have not begun an exercise program, if is worth investing the time.
If you are already active in a regular physical regime, congratulations! and keep up the good work.
References
Yamamoto K et al. "Poor trunk flexibility is associated with arterial stiffening." Am J Physiology Heart & Circ Physiol. August 009;27:H1314-H1318
Seals DR et al. "Habitual Exercise and Vascular Aging" J of Physiology Published online ahead of print: Sept. 1, 2009
Otsuki T & Maeda S "Exercise Training-Associated Changes in Arterial Stiffness and Endothelial-Derived Vasocactive Factors" Current Hypertension Reviews May 2008;4(2):143-149
Gates PE "Decline in large elastic artery compliance with age:a therapeutic target for habitual exercise"
British J Sports Medicine 2006;40:897-899
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