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Higher proportion of prematurely born adults in elite breath-hold divers

Hadrien Pique1, Sigrid Theunissen1, Costantino Balestra2,1,3,4,5

  • 1Environmental, Occupational, Aging (Integrative) Physiology Laboratory, Haute Ecole Bruxelles-Brabant (HE2B), 1160 Brussels.

Undersea & Hyperbaric Medicine : Journal of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society, Inc
|September 30, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Elite freedivers born prematurely are more common than in the general population. However, prematurity does not affect their performance in freediving. Keywords: preterm birth, elite freedivers, freediving performance.

Area of Science:

  • Physiology
  • Sports Science
  • Neonatology

Background:

  • Preterm birth can impact respiratory system development and lead to lifelong health issues.
  • Prematurity is linked to altered hypercapnic reactions in adults, potentially affecting breath-hold activities.
  • Understanding these effects is crucial for athletes born prematurely.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence of preterm birth among elite freedivers.
  • To compare freediving performance between elite athletes born prematurely and those born full-term.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized AIDA International's top-100 freediving athlete rankings (2016-2021).
  • Collected data via a custom-developed subject questionnaire.
  • Analyzed personal best freediving results and birth status.

Main Results:

  • 17.1% of elite freedivers in the sample (n=25) were born prematurely, exceeding the general population rate.
  • The proportion of premature births was 18.1% for females and 16.2% for males.
  • No significant difference in freediving performance was found between preterm and full-term elite freedivers.

Conclusions:

  • The prevalence of preterm birth is elevated among elite freedivers compared to the general population.
  • Despite higher prevalence, preterm birth does not appear to impact the athletic performance of elite freedivers.
Abstract

Keywords:
apneaextreme environmentshypercapnialung functionphysiologyprematurity

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