Secrets about the heart of top athletes

Italian scientists have found a hormone capable of increasing the size and strength of organs that pump blood in the body of excellent rowing athletes.

The expert team of the University of Milan and the University of Naples (Italy) conducted research on the effects of IGF-1, a growth stimulating hormone, in 38 people. Half of these people are world-class rowing athletes.

Many previous studies have demonstrated that IGF-1 has the ability to enhance muscle strength, but Italian scientists only focus on its effect on the heart. After a series of experiments, they found the athletes' hearts had larger compartments and thicker walls than the hearts of the rest. Their heartbeat is also slower.

Photo: BBC.

In the group of athletes, people with larger hearts also have higher levels of IGF-1 in their blood. Overall the size and pumping capacity of the heart are directly proportional to the IGF-1 concentration.

'Our research shows that both sides, right and left, of the boatman's heart are larger and pump blood with a higher capacity than normal people. One of the possible causes is the production of growth stimulants, such as IGF-1, during exercise, 'said Dr. Giovanni Vitale, lead researcher.

Peter Sonksen, a professor of endocrinology at St Thomas's Hospital in London, said that if a person is born with high blood levels of IGF-1, he or she can increase the amount of hormones due to exercise sports.