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Cardiac structure and function in monozygotic twin pairs discordant for physical fitness

¹Turku PET Centre, ²Paavo Nurmi Centre, Department of Physiology, and ³Department of Biostatics, University of Turku, Turku, Finland; ⁴Department of Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland; ⁵Department of Clinical Physiology, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland; ⁶Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; and ⁷Department of Mental Health and Alcohol Research, National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland

Submitted 28 January 2005 ; accepted in final form 5 April 2005

Cross-sectional studies in athletes and untrained subjects suggest that exercise training induces adaptations in cardiac structure and function. However, the role of genetic variation on the results has largely been ignored in these studies. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of long-term volitionally increased physical activity on electrocardiographic and echocardiographic parameters in male monozygotic twin pairs discordant for physical activity and fitness. On the basis of the mailed questionnaires, a telephone interview, and the inclusion criteria, 12 pairs of young adult male monozygotic twins were recruited from a Finnish twin cohort. All subjects completed a maximal oxygen uptake (O_{2 max}) test and electrocardiography and echocardiography studies. Nine pairs had at least 9% difference in O_{2 max} and were selected for further analysis and for a second echocardiography study. Twins were divided into the more (MAG) and less active group (LAG), according to their O_{2 max}. On average, MAG had 18% higher O_{2 max} compared with LAG. In electrocardiography, MAG had 29% (P = 0.02) higher Cornell voltage and 37% (P = 0.01) higher right-side hypertrophy index. In echocardiography, no significant differences were observed between the groups, and left ventricular mass index was only 7% (P = 0.16) higher in MAG. These results show that the volitionally increased physical activity that has led to an 18% increase in cardiorespiratory fitness induces greater changes in electro- than echocardiographic parameters. Electrocardiographic changes were suggestive of left ventricular hypertrophy, and echocardiography showed a similar but statistically nonsignificant trend.

electrocardiography; echocardiography

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