1,720,983 research outputs found
Differences Between Afro-Caribbean and White Caucasian Olympic Athletes in Plasma Lipids Profile: A Cross-Sectional Single Center Study
No full textIntroduction: Ethnic and gender differences in plasma lipid composition have been widely reported among the general population, but there are scarce data on athletes. Aim: To assess ethnic and gender differences in lipid profile across a large cohort of Olympic athletes practicing different sport disciplines METHODS: We enrolled 1165 Olympic athletes divided into power, endurance, and mixed disciplines according to European Society of Cardiology classification. Sixty-two (5.3%) were Afro-Caribbean. Body composition and fat mass percentage were measured. Blood samples were collected and lipid profile was investigated. Results: Compared to Caucasians, Afro-Caribbeans had better lipid profile characterized by lower LDL (90 ± 25 mg/dL vs. 97.1 ± 26.2 mg/dL, p = 0.032) lower LDL/HDL ratio (1.39 ± 0.5 vs. 1.58 ± 0.6, p = 0.012), lower non-HDL-cholesterol (102.5 ± 27.4 mg/dL vs. 111.5 ± 28.5 mg/dL, p = 0.015) and lower TC/HDL (2.59 ± 0.6 vs. 2.82 ± 0.7, p = 0.010). Female Afro-Caribbeans showed lower TG/HDL ratio (p = 0.045) and TC/HDL ratio (p = 0.028), due to higher HDL (p = 0.005) compared to male Afro-Caribbeans. In Caucasian athletes, females showed even more evident differences with lower TC, LDL, and higher HDL with subsequent lower ratios compared to men. Moreover, endurance Caucasian athletes had lower LDL (p = 0.003) and TG (p = 0.017) plasmatic levels and higher HDL levels compared to non-endurance Caucasian athletes (p< 0.0001) CONCLUSIONS: Ethnicity and gender have a significant influence on plasmatic lipid balance in elite athletes and Afro-Caribbeans have favorable lipid profiles compared to Caucasians. Moreover, endurance sports, particularly in Caucasian athletes, are associated with better lipid profile compared to other type of sports
Lipid oxidation during exercise in paralympic winter athletes with locomotor impairments
No full textMaximal Lipid oxidation in paralympic winter athletes with locomotor impairments
No full textThe present study is aimed at assessing lipid oxidation (LO) at rest and during arm cranking ergometer (ACE) steady-state exercises carried out at different sub-maximal intensities in Paralympic winter athletes (PA) with locomotor impairments to evaluate maximal LO (FATmax). We evaluated the hypothesis that PA with spinal cord injury (PA-SCI) have a lower FATmax than PA with other locomotor impairment (PA-OLI).
Thirty-one male PA, including 11 PA-SCI and 20 PA-OLI with similar characteristics (age 33±13.19 and 37.37±8.07 years old, height 1.75±0.12 and 1.76±0.07 m; mass, 66.55±9.83 and 73±6.91kg, oxygen uptake peak- VO2peak, 41.3±9.26 and 37.5±4.39 ml kg -1 min-1, respectively) gave an informed consent to participate to the study. All PA were tested both at rest (Canopy Hood, Cosmed, Italy) and during three sub-maximal constant power ACE (E800, Cosmed, Italy) exercise tests (S-CPE) at intensities equal to ~30%, 50% and 70% of VO2 reserve (VO2R), through a breath by breath metabolic cart (Quark CPET, Cosmed, Italy) to assess FATmax. LO was calculated from VO2 and VCO2 using the stoichiometric equation of Frayn.
No differences between PA-SCI and PA-OLI were found in FATmax equal to 232±91.8 and 231±90 mg•min-1, respectively, and found at a VO2R equal to 58±16.4% and 54±19.4%, respectively.
PA-SCI and PA-OLI have similar values of fat oxidation and therefore similar glucose metabolism during exercise. High level of aerobic fitness in individuals with SCI plays a protective role in cardiovascular risk
Cardiovascular diseases in paralympic athletes
No full textBackground. Sport participation (SP) of individuals with impairments has recently grown exponentially. Scarce scientific data, however, exist regarding cardiovascular (CV) risk associated with competitive SP.
Objective. Assessing prevalence of CV abnormalities and the risk for SP in Paralympic athletes (PA).
Methods. PA (n=267; 76% males), aged 35±9, engaged in 18 sport disciplines, with spectrum of lesions including: spinal cord injury (paraplegia and spina bifida) (n = 116); amputation, poliomyelitis, cerebral palsy and other neuromuscular and/or skeletal disorders (Les autres) or visual impairment (n = 151) entered the study. CV evaluation included history, PE, 12-lead and exercise-ECG, echocardiography. Of them, 105 participated in ≥2 consecutive Games, and had evaluations available over a 6±4 year follow-up.
Results. Structural CV abnormalities were identified in 33 athletes (12%), including arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathies in 3, aortic root dilatation in 3, valvular diseases in 7 (mitral valve prolapse in 4, bicuspid aortic valve in 3) and systemic hypertension in 11 (4%).
In addition, ventricular (polymorphic, couplets or NSVT) or supraventricular tachyarrhythmias (atrial flutter, paroxysmal atrial fibrillation or SVT) were identified in 9 others.
Over 6-year follow-up, 6 of 105 athletes (6%) developed CV diseases, including dilated cardiomyopathy in 1 and systemic hypertension in 5.
Conclusions. PA present an unexpected high prevalence of CV abnormalities (12%), including a not trivial proportion of diseases at risk for sudden death (2%), such as arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathies and dilated aortic root. This observation suggests that tailored recommendations for preparticipation screening and safe SP in this special athletic population are timely and appropriate
Effects on aerobic fitness of an upper limb high intensity interval training
No full textPrevious studies have shown that an interval training (IT) based on short term (30 second long) maximal intensity bouts of exercise (5 all-out cycloergometer exercises) improves aerobic fitness (Gibala et al., J Physiol 2006) due to an increased skeletal muscle carbohydrate metabolism (Burgomaster et al., J Appl Physiol 2006). We hypothesized that also an IT consisting of 5 bouts of exercise up to exhaustion carried out with an arm cranking ergometer (ACE) at an intensity ranging from 130 to 150% of peak of oxygen uptake (peak VO2) would be effective in improving upper body aerobic fitness. Eight healthy male subjects (age 39.4±10.42 years, mass 80±8.8 kg and height 1.8±0.07 m) were submitted to an ACE maximal incremental test to assess
peak VO2 and to establish the intensity for IT (130% peak power). IT lasted 6 weeks (3 sessions per week). Each session consisted of 5 bouts of ACE exercise carried out up to exhaustion and interspaced by a recovery time necessary to start each bout every 5 minutes. A bout of exercise (mean power: 215±23.9 watt) lasted 75±7.5 s and 126±3.4 s at the start and at the end of training, respectively, eliciting a VO2 increase up to 90.2±6.72% of peak VO2. Peak VO2 increased after training from 36.8±7.25 to 40.4±4.87 ml kg-1 min-1 (p=0.001). A high intensity ACE IT, in which overload derives from both a greater mechanical work (from 74±10.9 to 137±23.3 kJ) and a shorter recovery time,
improves significantly upper body aerobic fitness
Upper limb aerobic training improves aerobic fitness and all-out performance of America's Cup grinders
No full textThis research on “America’s Cup” grinders investigated the effects of a specific eight-week long-arm cranking ergometer (ACE) training on upper body (UB) aerobic fitness (ventilatory threshold – Tvent, respiratory compensation point- RCP, – oxygen uptake peak – V_ O2peak) and high intensity working capacity. The training consisted of sessions carried out for 20–30 mins, three times per week, at an intensity between the UB-Tvent and UB-RCP, and replaced part of a typical lower limb
aerobic training whilst maintaining the usual weekly schedule of callisthenics, resistance training and sailing. Seven sailors, including four grinders and three mastmen (age 30 ± 5.5 years, height 1.9 ± 0.04 m, body mass 102 ± 3.6 kg), were evaluated through both an ACE cardiopulmonary maximal exercise test (CPET) and an ACE all-out up to exhaustion exercise test, before and after the ACE training. UB aerobic fitness improved significantly: UB-V_ O2peak increased from 4.29 ± 0.442 to 4.52 ± 0.522 l·min−1 (6.4 ± 3.66%), V_ O2 at UB-Tvent from 2.42 ± 0.282 to 2.97 ± 0.328 l·min−1 (22.8 ± 5.09%) and V_ O2 at UB-RCP from 3.25 ± 0.402 to 3.75 ± 0.352 l·min−1 (16.1 ± 10.83%). Peak power at the ACE CPET increased from 351 ± 27.5 to 387 ± 33.5 W (10.5 ± 6.93%). The all-out test total mechanical work increased from 28.9 ± 2.35 to 40.1 ± 3.76 kJ (72.1 ± 4.67%). In conclusion, a high intensity aerobic ACE training can be effective in improving grinding performance by increasing UB aerobic fitness and all-out working capacity
Assessing Body Composition in Paralympians: Accuracy of Different Measurement Methods Compared with Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry
Full text linkBackground: Paralympic athletes represent a highly heterogeneous athletic population, which poses unique challenges for body composition assessment. This study evaluated the accuracy of Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA), Air Displacement Plethysmography (ADP), and a set of skinfold equations in estimating relative fat mass (%FM) in Paralympians, using Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DXA) as reference method. Methods: Sixty-six male and sixty-seven female Paralympians underwent body composition assessments on the same day. The %FM estimated using BIA, ADP, and six existing skinfold equations was compared with %FM measured by DXA (%FM_DXA). Accuracy and agreement between the methods were evaluated using two-tailed paired-sample t-tests, concordance correlation coefficients, reduced major axis regression, and Bland-Altman analysis. Linear regression analyses with the %FM_DXA as dependent variable and anthropometric measurements as independent variable were also carried out. Results: BIA, ADP, and skinfold equations exhibited poor agreement with DXA and significantly underestimated %FM_DXA, with systematic biases ranging from -1.8% to -10.7% in both men and women. In both groups, skinfold sums showed strong correlations with %FM_DXA (r > 0.7), with the nine-skinfold model providing the best prediction (adjusted R2 approximately 0.8). Conclusions: The results of this study indicate a lack of transferability of available methods for assessing body composition (skinfold equations, BIA, and ADP) in estimating %FM_DXA in both male and female Paralympians, as these methods proved inaccurate. Future research is needed to further investigate the accuracy of methods for assessing body composition in this population, taking into account the specific impairment and health condition of the athletes
Short and Long-Term Cardiovascular Sequelae after SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Narrative Review Focusing on Athletes
Full text linkCardiovascular (CV) involvement after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) infection was found to be frequent among the general population, especially in the pre-vaccination era, and particularly for hospitalized patients or those who experienced a more severe course of the disease. The spectrum of CV disease varies; however, acute myocarditis is particularly fearsome for the athletic population due to the possible associated risk of malignant arrhythmias during training. Alarming percentages of CV injuries, even in young and healthy athletes with a benign course of the disease, arose from a few initial studies limited to case series. Subsequent single-center studies and larger observational registries reported a lower prevalence of SARS-CoV2 CV involvement in athletes. Studies showing the occurrence of CV adverse events during follow-up periods are now available. The objective of our narrative review is to provide an updated summary of the literature on CV involvement after coronavirus disease 2019, both in the early post-infection period and over a longer period of time, with a focus on athletic populations
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