Do sporting activities and using protein supplements change the frontal QRS-T angle?

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Sports Medicine
• Electrocardiography

Background:

• The frontal QRS-T angle is an electrocardiographic measurement.
• Assessing this angle in athletes versus non-athletes is important for understanding cardiac adaptations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if the frontal QRS-T angle differs between healthy athletes and a control group of healthy individuals.
• To explore potential differences in the frontal QRS-T angle among athletes based on protein supplement usage.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study involving 122 healthy athletes and 60 healthy controls.
• 12-lead electrocardiograms (ECG) were analyzed for heart rate, various wave durations (P, QRS, QT, QTc), dispersions (QTD, QTcD), specific amplitude sums (V1/2S+V5/6R), and the frontal QRS-T angle.
• Athletes were further categorized into protein supplement (PS) users and non-users.

Main Results:

• Athletes exhibited significantly longer QRS and QT durations, and lower heart rate and QTc compared to controls.
• The frontal QRS-T angle and V1/2S+V5/6R were significantly higher in athletes.
• No significant differences in the frontal QRS-T angle were observed between protein supplement users and non-users within the athlete group.

Conclusions:

• The frontal QRS-T angle is significantly wider in athletes compared to healthy non-athletes.
• Protein supplement intake does not appear to influence the frontal QRS-T angle in athletes.