Sports practice is related to parasympathetic activity in adolescents

Author(s)

Suziane Ungari Cayres ^[1] ; Luiz Carlos Marques Vanderlei ^[2] ; Aristides Machado Rodrigues ^[3] ; Manuel João Coelho e Silva ^[4] ; Jamile Sanches Codogno ^[5] ; Maurício Fregonesi Barbosa ^[6] ; Rômulo Araújo Fernandes ^[7]

Affiliation

^[1] Universidade Estadual Paulista - Brasil

^[2] Universidade Estadual Paulista - Brasil

^[3] Universidade de Coimbra. Faculdade de Ciências do Desporto e Educação Física - Portugal

^[4] Universidade de Coimbra. Faculdade de Ciências do Desporto e Educação Física - Portugal

^[5] Universidade Estadual Paulista - Brasil

^[6] Universidade Federal de São Paulo - Brasil

^[7] Universidade Estadual Paulista - Brasil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Revista Paulista de Pediatria; v. 33, n. 2, p. 174-180, 2015-06-00.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relationship among sports practice, physical education class, habitual physical activity and cardiovascular risk in adolescents. METHODS: Cross-sectional study with 120 schoolchildren (mean: 11.7±0.7 years old), with no regular use of medicines. Sports practice and physical education classes were assessed through face-to-face interview, while habitual physical activity was assessed by pedometers. Bodyweight, height and height-cephalic trunk were used to estimate maturation. The following variables were measured: body fatness, blood pressure, resting heart rate, blood flow velocity, intima-media thickness (carotid and femoral) and heart rate variability (mean between consecutive heartbeats and statistical index in the time domain that show the autonomic parasympathetic nervous system activity root-mean by the square of differences between adjacent normal R-R intervals in a time interval). Statistical treatment used Spearman correlation adjusted by sex, ethnicity, age, body fatness and maturation. RESULTS: Independently of potential confounders, sports practice was positively related to autonomic parasympathetic nervous system activity (β=0.039 [0.01; 0.76]). On the other hand, the relationship between sport practice and mean between consecutive heartbeats (β=0,031 [-0.01; 0.07]) was significantly mediated by biological maturation. CONCLUSIONS: Sport practice was related to higher heart rate variability at rest. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 13/06052-2 - Effect of behavioral habits and body fat on cardiovascular risk indicators among adolescents: cohort study 12 months
• Grantee: Suziane Ungari Cayres
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master