Key result
Elite freediving is linked to a ~7 bpm lower minimal heart rate and mild physiological remodeling.
Why the study?
The influence of cardiac arrhythmias during maximal voluntary breath-holds on the long-term cardiac health of elite freedivers had not been investigated.
Does frequent maximal breath-holding affect the cardiac health and structure of elite freedivers compared to non-athletes?
Observational (n=32)
Does frequent maximal breath-holding affect the cardiac health and structure of elite freedivers compared to non-athletes?
Elite freedivers exhibit benign physiological cardiac adaptations, including lower minimal heart rate and slightly increased ventricular volumes, which remain within normal limits and do not limit their practice.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Freediver cardiac changes appear exercise-related and benign; leaves open long-term breath-hold effects in larger prospective cohorts.
Cardiac arrhythmias are commonly reported in freedivers during maximal voluntary breath-holds, but their influence on the cardiological status and their long-term effects on the cardiac health of these athletes have not been investigated. Here we present the results of a study on 32 healthy young men (mean age 32.6 ± 1.3 years) who were divided into two groups of 16 subjects. One group included 16 continuously training freedivers at the "high achievers in sports" level (DIVERS group). The CONTROL group included 16 healthy young men not involved in sports. The subjects were monitored using 24-h electrocardiogram (ECG), and echocardiological study (EchoCG) for all the subjects was performed. The mean heart rate in the DIVERS group was 69.5 ± 1.7 bpm compared with 70.9 ± 1.5 bpm in the CONTROL group. The minimal heart rate was 42.3 ± 1.0 bpm in the DIVERS group and 48.8 ± 1.7 bpm in the CONTROL group (P < 0.005). The maximal heart rate was 132.8 ± 4.6 bpm in the DIVERS group and 132.1 ± 2.9 bpm in the CONTROL group. ECG analysis revealed supraventricular arrhythmias in the DIVERS group: four of the DIVERS (25%) exhibited supraventricular couplets and triplets, three (19%) exhibited transient first- and second-degree AV blocks (Mobitz type 1) at night, and one (6%) exhibited a second-degree sinoatrial block at night. According to the echocardiogram, the DIVERS had slightly larger left ventricles (5.1 ± 1.33, P < 0.05) and left atriums (41.1 ± 12.7) compared with the CONTROL group without exceeding the normal values. The right ventricle volume (3.6 ± 0.69, P < 0.05) was somewhat above the upper normal value (up to 3.5 cm). In conclusion, freediving athletes exhibited changes in their cardiac status, most likely due to the regular exercise, that were not associated with regular maximal voluntary breath-holds. These changes are within the normal physiological values and do not limit their freediving practice.
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Zelenkova et al. (2015) conducted an observational in Healthy (n=32). Elite freediving (frequent maximal breath-holding) vs. Healthy young men not involved in sports was evaluated on Minimal heart rate (bpm) (p=< 0.005). Elite freediving was associated with a lower minimal heart rate and mild structural cardiac changes that remained within normal physiological values.
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