Determinants of lung function changes in athletic swimmers. A review

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Respiratory Physiology
• Human Physiology

Background:

• Athletic training can induce physiological adaptations.
• Lung function in athletes is a subject of interest.
• Swimmers may possess unique respiratory characteristics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review lung function in athletic swimmers.
• To explore potential mechanisms behind observed changes.
• To identify gaps in understanding physiological factors.

Main Methods:

• Literature search of Medline and EMBASE up to July 2021.
• Keywords included swimming, athletes, respiratory physiology, lung development, and lung function tests.
• Review of relevant English and French articles.

Main Results:

• Insufficient data for meta-analysis.
• Swimmers show improved expiratory flows and lung volumes compared to non-athletes.
• Potential causes include training-induced lung development, genetic predisposition, or positive selection.

Conclusions:

• Larger lung volumes in swimmers may stem from adaptive responses to early training.
• Optimal adaptation might occur before growth cessation.
• Precise mechanisms and the extent of adaptive changes require further investigation.