Postmenopausal former elite endurance athletes exhibited greater exercise capacity (183 vs 144 W; P<0.01) and larger cardiac chamber dimensions without increased wall thickness compared to controls.
Cross-Sectional (n=39)
Does long-term endurance training affect cardiac structure, function, and exercise capacity in postmenopausal former elite female athletes compared to sedentary controls?
Postmenopausal former elite endurance female athletes exhibit cardiac enlargement without increased wall thickness and maintain higher cardiovascular fitness compared to sedentary controls.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate cardiac structure and function and exercise capacity in senior former elite athlete women. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty postmenopausal former elite endurance athletes and 19 age-matched sedentary controls. METHODS: All subjects underwent transthoracic Doppler echocardiography and maximal exercise test on a bicycle ergometer. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Cardiac chamber dimensions, wall thickness, cardiac function, and exercise capacity. RESULTS: The athletes had a greater exercise capacity (183 +/- 26 vs. 144 +/- 36 W; P 0.05) and posterior wall thickness (9.0 +/- 1.6 vs. 9.2 +/- 1.0 mm; P > 0.05) did not differ between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates cardiac enlargement without increased wall thickness in postmenopausal former elite endurance athlete women. Our results also indicate that long-term training maintains a high level of cardiovascular fitness in the aging female athletes.
Hagmar et al. (Fri,) conducted a cross-sectional in Postmenopausal former elite endurance athletes (n=39). Former elite endurance training vs. Sedentary lifestyle was evaluated on Cardiac chamber dimensions, wall thickness, cardiac function, and exercise capacity. Postmenopausal former elite endurance athletes exhibited greater exercise capacity (183 vs 144 W; P<0.01) and larger cardiac chamber dimensions without increased wall thickness compared to controls.