Objective: 

Deep breathing test is a simple and reproducible cardiovascular reflex test to assess parasympathetic function. The aim of this study was to compare the vagal response of a group of young footballers with that of a group of age-matched untrained normal subjects, using this test.

Methods: 

Deep breathing test was performed in 2 groups: one group of 20 adult young footballers (average 19.3±0.6 years), and a second age-matched group of 20 untrained subjects (average 19.6±0.6 years). Subjects underwent the test after 30 min resting in supine position, and responses were expressed as a percentage of variation of the heart rate during the stimulation. Student's t-test was used for each of the parameters, in order to evaluate statistical differences among the two groups. p<0.05 was considered as significant

Results: 

Vagal response to deep breathing test was significantly higher in the young footballers when compared to the untrained controls (72.6±16.2% vs 55.0±12.8%, respectively, p=0.03). The basal heart rate was significantly lower in footballers than in the controls group (52.1±7.4 beats/min vs 69.8 ± 14.3 beats/min, p <0.01).

Conclusions: 

Our data point to a significant increase in basal parasympathetic response and a significant decrease of basal heart rate in adult young footballers compared to controls.