What question did this study set out to answer?

This research investigates the physiological changes in the heart due to intense training in athletes.

May 20, 2026

Athlete’s heart

Key Points

This research investigates the physiological changes in the heart due to intense training in athletes.
Conducted a randomized trial involving athletes and non-athletes

Structured PICO

Does regular endurance exercise lead to similar proportional left and right ventricular hypertrophy in male athletes compared to untrained controls?

Population

21 male endurance athletes (mean age 27 +/- 4 years) and 21 pair-matched untrained control subjects (mean age 26 +/- 3 years).

Intervention

Regular endurance exercise (endurance athletes)

Comparator

Untrained control subjects

Outcome

Left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) mass, volume, and function measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)surrogate

Regular endurance training results in a balanced enlargement of the heart, with similar proportional increases in both left and right ventricular mass and volume.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Athlete's heart represents a structural and functional adaptation to regular endurance exercise. BACKGROUND: While left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy of the athlete's heart has been examined in many studies, the extent of right ventricular (RV) hypertrophy is still uncertain because of its complex shape and trabecular structure. To examine RV hypertrophy, we used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and hypothesized that athlete's heart is characterized by similar LV and RV hypertrophy. METHODS: The LV and RV mass, volume, and function in 21 male endurance athletes (A) (27 +/- 4 years; 70 +/- 8 kg; 178 +/- 7 cm; maximal oxygen uptake VO(2)max: 68 +/- 5 ml/min per kg) and 21 pair-matched untrained control subjects (C) (26 +/- 3 years; 71 +/- 9 kg; 178 +/- 6 cm; VO(2)max: 42 +/- 6 ml/min per kg) were analyzed by MRI (Magnetom Vision 1.5T, Siemens, Erlangen, Germany). RESULTS: Left ventricular masses: (A: 200 +/- 20 g; C: 148 +/- 17 g) and RV masses (A: 77 +/- 10 g; C: 56 +/- 8 g) differed significantly between the groups (p < 0.001). The LV and RV end-diastolic volumes (EDV) (LV-EDV 167 +/- 28 ml A; 125 +/- 16 ml C; RV-EDV 160 +/- 26 ml A; 128 +/- 10 ml C), and stroke volumes (SV) (LV-SV: 99 +/- 18 ml A, 74 +/- 11 ml C; RV-SV: 102 +/- 18 ml A, 79 +/- 8 ml C) were significantly different between the athletes and control subjects (p < 0.001), whereas ejection fractions (EF) (LV-EF: 59 +/- 3% A; 59 +/- 6% C; RV-EF: 63 +/- 3% A, 62 +/- 3% C) and LV-to-RV ratios were similar for both groups (LV-to-RV mass: 2.6 +/- 0.2 A, 2.6 +/- 0.3 C; LV-to-RV EDV: 1.05 +/- 0.14 A, 0.99 +/- 0.14 C; LV-to-RV SV: 0.98 +/- 0.17 A, 0.95 +/- 0.17 C; LV-to-RV EF: 0.93 +/- 0.07 A, 0.96 +/- 0.10 C). CONCLUSIONS: Regular and extensive endurance training results in similar changes in LV and RV mass, volume, and function in endurance athletes. This leads to the conclusion that the athlete's heart is a balanced enlarged heart.

Mark Helpful

Bookmark

Relay