The effect of resistance exercise on vascular diameter and some physiological factors in elderly men

Inactive lifestyle along with age increasing is a known risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. A certain level of physical activity that becomes the individual's habit is also closely related to the mortality causes. Aging is a chronic condition that can lead to atherosclerosis and blood pressure. Nowadays, it is proved that this disease is not just as a result of aging, but inactivity can also affect it. The present study was aimed at investigating the effect of resistance exercises on vascular diameter and physiological factors affecting it in elderly men.The present experiment was quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design. Twenty elderly men were randomly assigned into a control group (n=20, age: 55 +/- 5) and a resistance exercise group (n=10, age: 55 +/- 5). The exercises were carried out for 3 months, 3 sessions per week, and each session lasted 60 minutes. The resistance exercise group conducted a weightlifting program with 40-65% of IMR. Before and after the exercises, the participants' vascular diameter were measured.The results of the present study showed that moderate resistance exercises led to a significant increase in vascular diameter and endothelin-1 (p <= 0.05). However, they had no significant effect on nitric oxide (p >= 0.05). According to the results of the present study, it can be stated that resistance exercises can cause significant change in vascular diameter and endothelin-1. Therefore, this type of exercise can be considered as an effective non-pharmacological method for better performance of arteries and prevention of cardiovascular diseases.