Can the use of a single integrated unitary autonomic index provide early clues for eventual eligibility for olympic games?

Lucini, Daniela; Sala, Roberto; Spataro, Antonio; Malacarne, Mara; Benzi, Manuela; Tamorri, Stefano Maria; Pagani, Massimo

doi:10.1007/s00421-018-3822-2

Cited by 10 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 45 publications

(63 reference statements)

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“…Nowadays, this methodology might be helpful to detect the ANS modifications during routine training ( Lucini et al, 2021 ), to define different ANS profiles characterizing different training routines corresponding, for instance, to different roles in soccer ( Lucini et al, 2020b ), and to show the benefic effect of mental training to manage stress in female elite soccer players ( Pagani et al, 2023 ). The complex approaches to HRV analysis employing ad hoc statistics also seem ( Lucini et al, 2018 ) to be helpful: “ to understand the differences in autonomic regulation between excellent athletes and those skilled enough to qualify for the Olympics ” ( Miglis and Muppidi, 2018 ). In this study, we presented a further step in these directions using an advanced statistical analysis approach for constructing statistical indicators, which might help translate the non-invasive study of ANS employing HRV into sport everyday practice.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the cardiac autonomic response to bicycle exercise in Olympic athletes with different loads of endurance training: new insights from statistical indicators based on multilevel exploratory factor analysis

Solaro,

Pagani,

Spataro

et al. 2023

Front. Physiol.

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Aim: The mechanisms governing the organism’s response to exercise are complex and difficult to study. Spectral analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) could represent a convenient methodology for studying humans’ autonomic nervous system (ANS). However, difficulties in interpreting the multitude of correlated HRV-derived indices, mainly when computed over different time segments, may represent a barrier to its usage. This preliminary investigation addressed to elite athletes proposes a novel method describing the cardiac autonomic response to exercise based on multilevel exploratory factor analysis (MEFA), which reduces the multitude of HRV-derived indices to fewer uncorrelated ANS indicators capable of accounting for their interrelationships and overcoming the above difficulties.Methods: The study involved 30 Italian Olympic athletes, divided into 15 cyclists (prevalent high-intensity endurance training) and 15 shooters (prevalent technical training with low-intensity endurance component). All athletes underwent a complete test of a dynamic protocol, constituted by a rest-stand test followed by a stepwise bicycle stress test subdivided into a single bout of progressive endurance (from aerobic to anaerobic) exercise and recovery. Then, by spectral analysis, values of 12 ANS proxies were computed at each time segment (9 epochs in all) of the complete test.Results: We obtained two global ANS indicators (amplitude and frequency), expressing the athletes’ overall autonomic response to the complete test, and three dynamic ANS indicators (amplitude, signal self-similarity, and oscillatory), describing the principal dynamics over time of the variability of RR interval (RRV). Globally, cyclists have significantly higher amplitude levels (median ± MAD: cyclists 69.9 ± 20.5; shooters 37.2 ± 19.4) and lower frequency levels (median ± MAD: cyclists 37.4 ± 14.8; shooters 78.2 ± 10.2) than shooters, i.e., a parasympathetic predominance compared to shooters. Regarding the RRV dynamics, the signal self-similarity and oscillatory indicators have the strongest sensitivity in detecting the rest-stand change; the amplitude indicator is highly effective in detecting the athletes’ autonomic changes in the exercise fraction; the amplitude and oscillatory indicators present significant differences between cyclists and shooters in specific test epochs.Conclusion: This MEFA application permits a more straightforward representation of the complexity characterizing ANS modulation during exercise, simplifying the interpretation of the HRV-derived indices and facilitating the possible real-life use of this non-invasive methodology.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the cardiac autonomic response to bicycle exercise in Olympic athletes with different loads of endurance training: new insights from statistical indicators based on multilevel exploratory factor analysis

Solaro,

Pagani,

Spataro

et al. 2023

Front. Physiol.

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“…This retrospective observational study involved data from 1556 elite athletes (99.2% of Caucasian ethnicity) (888 males and 668 females) (age 23.9 [19.6–28.6] and 22.6 [18.8–27.1], respectively) who took part in the selection procedure for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games for the National Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) [ 12 ]. All athletes were cleared for active sport participation.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Body composition assessment in a large cohort of Olympic athletes with different training loads: possible reference values for fat mass and fat-free mass domains

Giovanelli,

Biganzoli,

Spataro

et al. 2023

Acta Diabetol

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Aims To assess body composition by means of BOD POD in the large cohort of Italian Olympic athletes of many sport disciplines (studied at the same time), and to provide possible reference values for body composition in elite athletes. Methods 1556 elite athletes, who took part in the selection procedure for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games for the National Italian Olympic Committee (CONI), were retrospectively studied. Body composition was determined using air plethysmography-based BOD POD. Results We observed that Fat Mass (FM) and Fat-free Mass (FFM) should be considered as two mutually independent domains in elite athletes. By performing Principal Component Analysis, we defined two independent main domains (respectively, representing FM and FFM), which presented different trends according to gender and static or dynamic exercise load. Lastly, we reported possible reference values for FM index and FFM index, respectively, representing the largest contributors to FM domain and FFM domain, and calculated as FM or FFM (kg)/height (m2). Conclusions Our findings might provide a basis to optimize the practical approach to body composition in athletes, highlighting the importance of considering indicators of fat mass and lean mass “simultaneously” and not specularly, according to different sport disciplines as well. Moreover, these data might contribute to standardize reference values for body composition in elite athletes, with a view to potentially helping to monitor and guide training regimens, prevent related detrimental practices and plan cardiometabolic prevention and rehabilitation programs.

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“…This observational, retrospective metabolic sub-study involved data from 583 (353 males and 230 females; median age ± MAD (median absolute deviation): 24 ± 4 and 23 ± 4 years, respectively; Mann-Whitney test: p = 0.842) elite athletes who took part in the selection procedure for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games for the National Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) [36]. The study protocol was guided by the STROBE statement [37].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Considering body composition, in recent years the introduction of a simple, inexpensive and friendly technique based on air plethysmography (BOD POD) [32,33] permits a reasonably accurate [34] assessment of essential elements of body composition (fat mass and fat free mass, both expressed in absolute physical units, kg, and nominal % value) to be obtained [35], employing specific equations according to a given population [3]. In this paper we used the large Italian database of elite Olympic athletes [36] to verify the strength of the interplay among the autonomic nervous system, biochemical indicators, body mass and body composition in a system medicine approach [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationship between Body Composition and Cardiac Autonomic Regulation in a Large Population of Italian Olympic Athletes

Lucini

Spataro²,

Giovanelli

et al. 2022

JPM

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Athletic performance is determined by many factors, such as cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength and psychological features, which all interact simultaneously. The large Italian National Olympic Committee database of Olympic athletes offers a unique healthy population to verify the strength of the interplay among a number of major elements of training, including autonomic nervous system (ANS) modulation, biochemical indicators and body composition, in a system medicine approach. This observational, retrospective study involved 583 individuals. As part of the yearly precompetitive examination, cardiac autonomic (heart rate variability), psychological, physical (cycloergometer stress test), biochemical and body composition (BOD POD) evaluations were performed. In subsequent analysis, we first considered the relationship between body composition and single individual variables in a simple correlation matrix, including a multitude of variables; then, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) restricted the information to six latent domains, each combining congruent information in relation to body composition. Finally, we employed a multiple quantile regression model to evaluate possible relationships between ANSIs (index capable of synthetizing ANS regulation) and the latent domains indicated by EFA reflecting body composition. We observed a clear relationship between ANS and body mass composition parameters, as indicated by both bivariate correlations and the quantile regression result of ANSIs versus the latent domain aggregating mainly body composition data expressed in % (p = 0.002). In conclusion, these results suggest that specific training may elicit parallel adaptation of ANS control and body composition. The analysis of Olympic athletes’ data allowed us to obtain a better understanding of the complex, multidimensional factors involved in determining sport performance. The latter appears to be determined by the simultaneous interaction not only of cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength and psychological features, but also of ANS cardiovascular modulation and body composition.

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Can the use of a single integrated unitary autonomic index provide early clues for eventual eligibility for olympic games?

Cited by 10 publications

References 45 publications

Assessing the cardiac autonomic response to bicycle exercise in Olympic athletes with different loads of endurance training: new insights from statistical indicators based on multilevel exploratory factor analysis

Assessing the cardiac autonomic response to bicycle exercise in Olympic athletes with different loads of endurance training: new insights from statistical indicators based on multilevel exploratory factor analysis

Body composition assessment in a large cohort of Olympic athletes with different training loads: possible reference values for fat mass and fat-free mass domains

Relationship between Body Composition and Cardiac Autonomic Regulation in a Large Population of Italian Olympic Athletes

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