Key result
Power athletic training linked to ~7 mmHg higher central systolic blood pressure versus controls.
Why the study?
Vascular adaptations to regular exercise in children and adolescents may vary by the specific exercise demands of different sports, and it remained unclear whether broad sport categories adequately capture these differences.
Does competitive training in different sport categories (endurance, power, mixed) vs. recreational activity (<3 h/week) differentially affect brachial and central blood pressure and pulse wave velocity in boys aged 8–17 years?
Cross-Sectional (n=532)
No
Does competitive training in different sport categories (endurance, power, mixed) vs. recreational activity (<3 h/week) differentially affect brachial and central blood pressure and pulse wave velocity in boys aged 8–17 years?
In young male athletes, central systolic and brachial diastolic blood pressure are more sensitive to sport-specific training demands than peripheral systolic pressure or pulse wave velocity, and cluster-derived vascular profiles cross conventional sport categories, indicating that broad sport classifications obscure discipline-specific hemodynamic heterogeneity.
Power athletes may have higher central SBP and brachial DBP; leaves open training-type effects on adolescent BP and long-term risk.
Background: Regular exercise influences cardiovascular development in children and adolescents; however, vascular adaptations may differ according to the predominant exercise demands of specific sports. Whether broad sport categories adequately capture these differences remains unclear. This study compared blood pressure and pulse wave velocity (PWV) among young athletes from different sport categories and explored sport-specific vascular profiles. Methods: This study pooled data from three cohorts including 532 boys aged 8–17 years. Participants comprised competitive athletes (≥ 3 h/week training) and controls (< 3 h/week organized sports). Sports were categorized into endurance (n = 72), power (n = 43), and mixed (n = 389); the skill group was excluded due to small sample size. Brachial systolic and diastolic blood pressure (bSBP and bDBP), central systolic blood pressure (cSBP), and PWV were assessed oscillometrically. Training load was quantified using a MET-based index. Group differences were analyzed using ANCOVA adjusted for age, body surface area, and training load. Sport-specific vascular profiles were explored using hierarchical cluster analysis. Results: After adjustment, significant group effects were observed for bDBP (p < 0.001, η²p = 0.034) and cSBP (p = 0.012, η²p = 0.021), but not for bSBP or PWV. Power athletes had higher bDBP and cSBP than controls and endurance athletes; mixed-sport athletes also showed higher bDBP than controls and endurance athletes. Cluster analysis identified three distinct sport-specific vascular profiles. A “low-normal” cluster (e.g., swimming, cross-country skiing) showed lower values across all parameters, whereas a “high-normal” cluster (e.g., wrestling, rowing) exhibited higher values for bSBP, cSBP, and PWV (all p ≤ 0.012 vs. low-normal). An intermediate cluster (e.g., soccer, basketball) displayed moderate values with relatively higher bDBP. Discussion: Sport-specific vascular differences were mainly evident in cSBP and bDBP, whereas adjusted bSBP and PWV did not differ across broad sport categories. Higher cSBP in power athletes suggests that central hemodynamics may be more sensitive than peripheral systolic pressure to sport-specific loading. Cluster-derived profiles crossed conventional sport categories, indicating that broad classifications may obscure heterogeneity between disciplines. These exploratory findings support more differentiated sport-specific cardiovascular phenotyping but require longitudinal validation accounting for growth and biological maturation.
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Baumgartner et al. (2026) conducted a cross-sectional in Vascular health and blood pressure adaptation in young male athletes (n=532). Power sport training (competitive sports categorized by predominant exercise component: power, endurance, and mixed) vs. Recreational controls (<3 h/week organized sports), endurance athletes, and mixed-sport athletes was evaluated on Adjusted central systolic blood pressure (cSBP, mmHg) (Partial η² 0.021, p=0.012). Power athletes exhibited significantly higher adjusted central systolic blood pressure (107.0 mmHg) and brachial diastolic blood pressure (64.9 mmHg) than controls and endurance athletes (p≤0.012).
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