The Study
Speckle Tracking Echocardiographic Analysis of Left Ventricular Systolic and Diastolic Functions of Young Elite Athletes with Eccentric and Concentric Type of Cardiac Remodeling
This study looked at how the hearts of young athletes and non-athletes are different using a special ultrasound. It found that athletes' hearts look different, but it didn't prove that training made those changes—maybe they were born with them.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
Athletes' hearts change shape from training, but regular ultrasound can't tell if they pump better. A special ultrasound called STE can.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 529 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — STE found that athletes' heart muscles contract more strongly, even when regular tests couldn't see it.
- 2Marathon runners and wrestlers had higher systolic strain and strain rates than sedentary people, but only when measured with STE.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Echocardiography
Year
2013
Authors
Z. Şi̇mşek, M. Hakan Tas, H. Degirmenci, A. Gokhan Yazıcı, E. Ipek, H. Duman, F. Gundogdu, Ş. Karakelleoğlu, H. Senocak
Related Content
Claims (4)
During exercise, the proportion of time the heart spends contracting versus relaxing is different in endurance athletes compared to people who are not trained athletes.
Speckle tracking echocardiography measures greater heart muscle deformation during contraction in young elite athletes than conventional echocardiography, detecting functional differences that standard imaging cannot measure.
Marathon runners have stronger heart muscle contractions in the left ventricle than sedentary people, as measured by speckle tracking echocardiography.
Young elite wrestlers have thicker heart muscle walls in the left ventricle than sedentary people, but their heart chamber size is not larger, a pattern known as concentric remodeling.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.