2016, Volume 12

Cardiovascular risk in elite Spanish judo athletes



Cristina Casals1, Raquel Escobar-Molina2, Yaira Barranco-Ruiz3, Emerson Franchini4, Vicente Carratalá-Deval5, Jesús R Huertas1

1Department of Physiology, Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology, Biomedical Research Centre, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
2Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
3School of Physical Culture, Faculty of Health Sciences, National University of Chimborazo, Riobamba, Ecuador
4Sport Department, School of Physical Education, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
5Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain


Author for correspondence: Cristina Casals; Department of Physiology, Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology, Biomedical Research Centre, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain; email: casalsvazquez[at]gmail.com


Full text

Abstract

Background and Study Aim: Cardiovascular diseases are the first cause of death globally and, although athletes have a longer life expectancy, they are not exempt from these diseases. Thus, the aim of this study was the presence of cardiovascular-risk factors in elite judo athletes amongst weight categories.

Material and Methods: Cross-sectional descriptive study in 49 (20 males, 29 females) elite Spanish judo athletes. Cardiovascular risk was assessed through body mass index, body fat percentage, blood pressure, lipid profile, glycaemia, renal and hepatic functions. The athletes were grouped into 3 weight categories and compared using a one-way analysis of variance and Tukey test as post hoc.

Results: Fifty percent of male athletes presented high blood pressure, and stage I hypertension was diagnosed in 30% of cases, while only 17% of females had high blood pressure. Moreover, 45% and 34% of males and females, respectively, showed low HDL-cholesterol levels. Most of the athletes had low body fat percentages; however, 10% of males and 20% of females presented fat excess, and 59% of athletes showed higher body mass than the allowed for their weight category. Fat percentages were higher in heavier categories than in lighter ones (p<0.001), and HDL-cholesterol was also significantly impaired in heavier categories for males (p = 0.015), but not for females. Nevertheless, uric acid levels of female athletes was higher in heavier categories compared with lighter ones (p = 0.026).

Conclusions: The relatively high presence of cardiovascular risk factors suggest the need for monitoring the health status of judo athletes to prevent cardiovascular diseases.


Key words: hypertension, creatinine, cardiovascular diseases, body weight, blood pressure, blood glucose, lipids, liver function


Cite this article as:

AMA:

Casals C, Escobar-Molina R, Barranco-Ruiz Y et al. Cardiovascular risk in elite Spanish judo athletes. ARCH BUDO. 2016;12

APA:

Casals, C., Escobar-Molina, R., Barranco-Ruiz, Y., Franchini, E., Carratalá-Deval, V., & Huertas, J.R. (2016). Cardiovascular risk in elite Spanish judo athletes. ARCH BUDO, 12

Chicago:

Casals, Cristina, Escobar-Molina Raquel, Barranco-Ruiz Yaira, Franchini Emerson, Carratalá-Deval Vicente, Huertas Jesús R. 2016. "Cardiovascular risk in elite Spanish judo athletes". ARCH BUDO 12

Harvard:

Casals, C., Escobar-Molina, R., Barranco-Ruiz, Y., Franchini, E., Carratalá-Deval, V., and Huertas, J.R. (2016). Cardiovascular risk in elite Spanish judo athletes. ARCH BUDO, 12

MLA:

Casals, Cristina et al. "Cardiovascular risk in elite Spanish judo athletes." ARCH BUDO, vol. 12, 2016

Vancouver:

Casals C, Escobar-Molina R, Barranco-Ruiz Y et al. Cardiovascular risk in elite Spanish judo athletes. ARCH BUDO 2016; 12