title: Structural and functional cardiac adaptations to 6 months of football training in untrained hypertensive men.
abstract: We investigated the effects of 3 and 6 months of regular football training on cardiac structure and function in hypertensive men. Thirty-one untrained males with mild-to-moderate hypertension were randomized 2:1 to a football training group (n = 20) and a control group receiving traditional recommendations on healthy lifestyle (n = 11). Cardiac measures were evaluated by echocardiography. The football group exhibited significant (P < 0.05) changes in cardiac dimensions and function after just 3 months: Left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic volume increased from 104 ± 25 to 117 ± 29 mL. LV diastolic function improved measured as E/A ratio (1.15 ± 0.32 to 1.54 ± 0.38), early diastolic velocity, E' (11.0 ± 2.5 to 11.9 ± 2.6 cm/s), and isovolumetric relaxation time (74 ± 13 to 62 ± 13 ms). LV systolic function improved measured as longitudinal displacement (10.7 ± 2.1 to 12.1 ± 2.3 mm). Right ventricular function improved with respect to tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (21.8 ± 3.2 to 24.5 ± 3.7 mm). Arterial blood pressure decreased in both groups, but significantly more in the football training group. No significant changes were observed in the control group. In conclusion, short-term football training improves LV diastolic function in untrained men with mild-to-moderate arterial hypertension. Furthermore, it may improve longitudinal systolic function of both ventricles. The results suggest that football training has favorable effects on cardiac function in hypertensive men.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Roskilde Hospital, Roskilde, Denmark; Department of Cardiology, Gentofte University Hospital, Hellerup, Denmark.
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Randers
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hornstrup
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dvorak
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Søgaard
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Krustrup
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bangsbo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination; D005080:Exercise Test; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D012916:Soccer / Q000502:physiology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D018617:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Pulsed; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology*; D016278:Ventricular Function, Right / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Blood pressure; cardiac structure; diastolic function; soccer; systolic function