ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Effect of endurance training on lung function: a one year study

P Kippelen¹, C Caillaud², E Robert¹, P Connes², P Godard³, C Prefaut¹

¹ UPRES EA 701 Physiologie des Interactions, Hôpital Arnaud de Villeneuve, F-34295 Montpellier, France
² UPRES EA 2991, Faculté des Sciences du Sport, F-34090 Montpellier, France
³ Clinique des Maladies Respiratoires, Hôpital Arnaud de Villeneuve

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Ms Caillaud
UPRES EA 2991, Faculté des Sciences du Sport, F-34090 Montpellier, France; corinne.caillaud{at}univ-montp1.fr

Objective: To identify in a follow up study airway changes occurring during the course of a sport season in healthy endurance athletes training in a Mediterranean region.

Methods: Respiratory pattern and function were analysed in 13 healthy endurance trained athletes, either during a maximal exercise test, or at rest and during recovery through respiratory manoeuvres (spirometry and closing volume tests). The exercise test was conducted on three different occasions: during basic endurance training and then during the precompetition and competitive periods.

Results: During the competitive period, a slight but non-clinically significant decrease was found in forced vital capacity (–3.5%, p = 0.0001) and an increase in slope of phase III (+25%, p = 0.0029), both at rest and after exercise. No concomitant reduction in expiratory flow rates was noticed. During maximal exercise there was a tachypnoeic shift over the course of the year (mean (SEM) breathing frequency and tidal volume were respectively 50 (2) cycles/min and 3.13 (0.09) litres during basic endurance training v 55 (3) cycles/min and 2.98 (0.10) litres during the competitive period; p<0.05).

Conclusions: This study does not provide significant evidence of lung function impairment in healthy Mediterranean athletes after one year of endurance training.

Abbreviations: FEF_25–75, mid maximal expiratory flow rate; FEV₁, forced expiratory volume in the first second; FVC, forced vital capacity

Keywords: athletes; exercise; hyperventilation; lung function; airways

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