Our aim was to study the influence of autonomic nervous system and other factors on arterial stiffness in young individuals at low cardiovascular risk. The study involved 136 healthy individuals (mean age 23.5±6.7 years, 89 men and 47 women). The examination included: cardiovascular risk factors screening, heart rate variability (HRV), vascular stiffness, and endothelial function evaluation. Stiffness index was measured at baseline (SI_bl) and after 500 mcg of sublingual trinitroglycerin (SI_tng). Endothelial function was determined as the change of resistance index after inhalation of 400 mcg of salbutamol (EF). Vascular responses were calculated from digital pulse waves (DPW) registered using photoplethysmography. Vascular parameters did not differ between men and women. On multivariate analysis age and diastolic blood pressure were the only determinants of SI_bl among the conventional risk factors (R=0.37, R²=0.14, p<0.001). Age, systolic blood pressure, and EF were independent predictors of SI_tng (R=0.57, R²=0.33, p<0.001). Among HRV parameters added to the above models low parasympathetic activity and elevated sympathetic activity evaluated by pNN50 and low frequency waves spectrum (LF), respectively, were independent predictors of higher levels of SI_bl (p<0.00001 for each parameter). The model explained nearly 40% of SI_bl variability (R=0.62, R²=0.38, p<0.00001). Only pNN50 was independently related to SI_tng in multivariate model (p<0,01) marginally increasing its predictive value (R=0.64, R²=0.41, p<0.00001). Thus, autonomic nervous system significantly affected baseline arterial stiffness evaluated by DPW analysis in young individuals. Whereas SI_tng is minimally influenced only by parasympathetic tone and more precisely reflects cardiovascular risk factors effects on arterial wall.