Do fitness and genetic variation contribute to sinus node function and resting bradycardia in endurance athletes compared to nonathletes?
Resting bradycardia in endurance athletes is influenced by both fitness levels and genetic variation, suggesting genetics may be a determinant of athleticism.
Resting bradycardia (HR ≤40 bpm) and pauses of 2 to 3 s are present in a significant proportion of endurance athletes and are well tolerated. Our data suggest that both fitness and genetic variation contribute to sinus node function in endurance athletes. Intriguingly, HR-PRS differed between athletes and nonathletes, raising the possibility that genetics may be a determinant of athleticism.
D’Ambrosio et al. (Thu,) studied this question.