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  • Clinical Research Article
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Influence of physical fitness and weight status on autonomic cardiac modulation in children

Pediatric Research volume 94, pages 1754–1763 (2023)Cite this article

Abstract

Background

This study provides reference values for cardiovascular modulation at rest, during maximal exercise test and recovery after exercise in Caucasian children according to weight status and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) level. Additionally, the current study analyzed several correlations between autonomic cardiovascular modulation, cardiorespiratory performance and cardiometabolic risk. The principal goal of this study was to analyze cardiac function at rest, during maximum exercise, and during the recovery phase in children grouped according to weight status and CRF level.

Methods

One hundred and fifty-two healthy children (78 girls) 10–16 years of age were divided into three groups: soccer and basketball players (SBG), endurance group (EG), and sedentary people with overweight and obesity (OOG). A cardiac RR interval monitor recorded the cardiac data and specific software analyzed the cardiac autonomic response through heart rate (HR) and HR variability. The study analyzed resting HR (RHR), HRpeak, and HR recovery (HRR).

Results

OOG showed significant poorer performance in the Léger test lower V̇O2 max and higher values of blood pressure at rest and post-exercise than sport groups. The EG presented the best results in CRF and cardiometabolic risk (CMR) in relation to SBG and OOG. The OOG showed higher percentage of HR values, compatible with an unhealthy cardiovascular autonomic modulation than the sport groups, with significant differences in bradycardia, HR reserve, and HRR 5 min.

Conclusions

Aerobic performance, vagal activity, blood pressure, chronotropic competence, and HRR have significant associations with CMR parameters.

Impact

  • The current study presents reference values of autonomic cardiac function in Caucasian children according to weight status and cardiorespiratory fitness level.

  • Aerobic performance, vagal activity, blood pressure, chronotropic competence, and heart rate during the recovery period after exercise have significant associations with cardiometabolic risk parameters.

  • Children with overweight and obesity show signs of autonomic dysfunction reflected as low cardiac vagal activity and poor chronotropic competence.

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Fig. 1: Heart rate profile at rest, during exercise, and during recovery time.
Fig. 2: Weight status of participants.
Fig. 3: Percentage of children within each heart rate (HR) references (at rest, HR reserve and at recovery time) associated with a healthy cardiovascular system.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Didactic of Music, Plastic and Corporal Expression, University of Jaen, 23071, Jaen, Spain

    Pedro Á. Latorre-Román, Ana de la Casa Pérez, David Pancorbo-Serrano, Pedro J. Consuegra-Gonzalez, Marcos Muñoz-Jiménez, Juan M. Ramírez Lucas, José Carlos Cabrera-Linares & Juan A. Párraga-Montilla

  2. Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Temuco, Chile

    Jesús Salas-Sánchez

  3. Facultad de Educación, Universidad Internacional de la Rioja, Logroño, Spain

    Jesús Salas-Sánchez

  4. Department of Health Sciences, Area of Physiology, University of Jaen, Jaen, Spain

    Jerónimo Aragón-Vela

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All the authors made substantial contributions to conception and design, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data; drafted the article or revised it critically for important intellectual content; and gave final approval of the version to be published.

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Latorre-Román, P.Á., de la Casa Pérez, A., Pancorbo-Serrano, D. et al. Influence of physical fitness and weight status on autonomic cardiac modulation in children. Pediatr Res 94, 1754–1763 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-023-02676-1

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