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Influence of group training frequency on arterial stiffness in elderly women

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Abstract

We evaluated the effects of different training frequencies on arterial stiffness. 77 elderly women (mean 68.8 years and 7.0 SD) were divided into two training (1DW and 2DW) and a CONTROL group (n = 23). 1DW (n = 29) participated in 90-min group training once a week for 12 weeks, while 2DW (n = 25) attended twice a week. Each training program included recreational activities, six to eight resistance exercises for circuit training, and leg exercises for chair-based exercise. Brachial systolic and diastolic blood pressures and the brachial-to-ankle pulse-wave velocity (baPWV) were obtained in the supine position. Muscle strength and ventilatory threshold were also measured. After the training program, a reduction (P < 0.01) in baPWV was observed in 2DW (−7.8 ± 7.0%) but not in 1DW (−1.5 ± 7.5%) and CONTROL (−0.4 ± 7.5%) without any changes in other measurements. The results suggest that, in order to improve arterial stiffness, an exercise frequency of at least twice a week is to be recommended for elderly.

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Acknowledgments

We thank David A House, Katherine Osgood, Saori Maruoka, Junko Hiroe, Kazuya Harada, Eri Yoshida, and Nao Okumura for their technical assistance in this study. This study was supported by a Grant-in Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture of Japan (15700441).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory for Applied Physiology, Faculty of Integrated Arts and Sciences, University of Tokushima, 1-1 Minamijyosanjima, Tokushima, 770-8502, Japan

    Hajime Miura, Emi Nakagawa & Yoshinori Takahashi

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  1. Hajime Miura
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  2. Emi Nakagawa
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  3. Yoshinori Takahashi
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Correspondence to Hajime Miura.

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Miura, H., Nakagawa, E. & Takahashi, Y. Influence of group training frequency on arterial stiffness in elderly women. Eur J Appl Physiol 104, 1039–1044 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-008-0860-1

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