Conception via ART Linked to Lower Cardiorespiratory Fitness
Individuals conceived through assisted reproductive technologies (ART) had significantly lower cardiorespiratory fitness than those conceived spontaneously, with no difference in muscle strength, a cohort study showed.
METHODOLOGY:
Researchers conducted a single-centre observational cohort study in Germany between 2021 and 2022, including individuals aged 4-26 years without known cardiovascular conditions, who were conceived using ART (n = 67) or spontaneously (age- and sex-matched control individuals, n = 86).
They analysed anthropometric measurements, diet quality, levels of physical activity, and sedentary behaviour. The analysis was adjusted for age, birth weight, and gestational age.
Cardiorespiratory fitness was evaluated using the 6-minute walking test (6MWT) and 20-meter shuttle run test (20mSRT). The 6MWT distance, number of 20mSRT laps, estimated maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and pulse rate recovery were analysed.
Muscle strength was evaluated using hand grip strength (HGS) measurements.
TAKEAWAY:
Adherence to the Mediterranean diet, levels of physical activity, and sedentary behaviour were not significantly different between groups.
The ART group showed significantly lower 6MWT distance (P = .02), number of 20mSRT laps (P < .001), estimated VO2max (P = .02), and pulse rate recovery at 5 (P = .01) and 10 (P = .02) minutes than the control group.
In the adjusted analysis, the ART group showed significantly lower number of 20mSRT laps (P = .02), estimated VO2max (P = .04), pulse rate recovery at 5 minutes (P = .03), and SBP (P = .03) than the control group.
Maximal HGS showed no significant differences between groups.
IN PRACTICE:
"This study indicates a significantly lower CRF [cardiorespiratory fitness] in ART participants compared to spontaneously conceived controls. Significant differences in muscle strength were not demonstrated between ART participants and controls," the authors wrote.
"Future research should consider CPET [cardiopulmonary exercise testing] for direct VO 2max measurement. Larger multi-center follow-up studies are required for precise cardiorespiratory risk stratification of the ART cohort," they added.
SOURCE:
This study was led by Marie Kramer and Pengzhu Li, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany. It was published online on June 21 in the European Journal of Pediatrics.
LIMITATIONS:
This non-blinded, multi-investigator study was vulnerable to participation and assessor biases and inter-observer variability. Its wide age range and inclusion of adverse perinatal conditions may have affected the results, and key confounders such as ART modality, parental health, and socioeconomic status were not accounted for. Comorbidities among ART offspring may also have affected the fitness measures.
DISCLOSURES:
The study was funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and the Munich Clinician Scientist Program of LMU Munich. One author reported receiving support from various sources. Details are provided in the original article.
This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
'I'm an unpaid carer for my mum in Greenwich - it's like grieving your own life'
Seven years ago Denise Wilkins was a successful accountant who was regularly travelling across Europe for her work. Her career achievements were remarkable considering she had been simultaneously caring for her mum, Maureen Shields, since the age of 14 when she started to lose her sight. But in 2018 everything changed. Maureen woke up one morning and couldn't move. She'd developed osteoporosis, a condition which weakens bones and makes them more susceptible to fractures. Maureen had spinal fractures that prevented her movement and caused her excruciating pain. Denise was forced to give up the career she'd worked so hard to build to look after Maureen full-time. Denise, now 54, said: 'It's almost like grieving the loss of your own life. You're grieving because of the loss of what's happened to somebody else, and seeing somebody in constant pain is hard. "It's also just incredibly mentally and emotionally wearing having to not only deal with your own life's disappointments and problems, but also the emotions that they're going through.' Denise lives with her 89-year-old mum in a flat in Vanbrugh Hill, Greenwich and has said the experience has had a profound impact on her mental health and wellbeing, to the point that she's been prescribed antidepressants to cope. Never in doubt was it that she would be there for her mum, but the lack of support from the government for unpaid carers like her has led to burnout and a feeling of being abandoned. 'There's a lack of support, a lack of understanding, and a lack of recognition,' Denise said. 'I just don't think people really understand just how all time consuming it is, and to be honest, it is very emotionally draining.' After the osteoporosis diagnosis the family moved from Loughton in Essex – their home for over 20 years – to Greenwich in order to be closer to King's College Hospital and because they couldn't adapt their Essex home to Maureen's needs. Maureen had a series of operations which stabilised her condition, but it left her with virtually no mobility. Denise has looked after her mum on a near daily basis since then as she can't afford to get paid carers in to help. She praised the work the NHS did in treating Maureen, but was critical of the provision for care that is provided afterwards. She said: 'There is just this assumption that the family's going to step in. There is nothing wrong with that, but then you realise there is very little support out there to recognise what you've lost in your life. It was life-changing for her, but it was also life-changing for me.' Denise felt that since she started looking after her mother in 2018, she has massively missed out on living her own life. She said: 'I mean not just financially, career-wise, socially, but all hobbies and interests have been completely put on hold. Even things like your own fitness levels and personal relationships. 'You feel like it's not just the person who needs to be cared for whose life has changed. It's almost like you've got an illness too.' Denise said she even has trouble attending to her own medical needs due to the lack of available appointments. If she's not able to find someone to look after her mum at the time when a GP appointment is offered, she can't attend it. Denise said she has been on antidepressants for the past six years, something she directly attributed to the stress of being a full-time carer. She is often told by people to take a break, but that is something that is incredibly difficult for her because she would need to find someone Maureen is comfortable with, who is able to look after her and she is able to afford. Her own retirement is in doubt Since becoming a carer, Denise hasn't been able to pay into her pension. For work, she has been able to pick up some zero-hour flexible contracts for minimum wage. 'While you're going through this journey you talk to other people and you find that it's common across the board,' she said. 'You start to realise that if people weren't stepping in and doing what they were doing, the whole adult social care system would just collapse.' Denise was critical of the government's stance on adult social care. She said: 'I can remember for at least the last 10 years that it's going to be reviewed. There's been loads of these reports, and you just feel like saying to people, 'Come on, we need to address this'. 'We need to, not just as individuals but as a society, look at how we're going to handle this.' When asked what changes she would like to see the government make to adult social care and the role of carers, Denise said: 'I think they could really do a lot more in terms of allowing carers to have time off, especially with work. 'You're allowed to take two or three days' unpaid leave, but that's nothing. It doesn't even begin to cover the number of hospital appointments that you'll need to attend.' She also hoped that a system could be brought in that would allow for carers to be registered and recognised. 'It would allow us to be able to go to employers and people and say, 'I am a registered carer'.' Denise also wanted the government to recognise that often carers are skilled workers who could be put to use helping society if there was more of a push to get them to work from home. 'There's a whole skill base out there of people like me who have got the qualifications and have got the work experience,' she said. 'I think that's another frustrating thing. They go off and supposedly do these reviews, but they never ever seem to talk to us. We're not just sitting here complaining. We actually feel that we've got things we could suggest.' Protest outside Parliament In an attempt to drive the issue of carers into the public eye and onto the government agenda, Denise took part in a protest on Tuesday (July 22) outside Parliament. As she can't get away from her caring duties, Denise wasn't there in person. Her story, alongside those of several other unpaid carers, will be broadcast on LED screens outside government buildings in an attempt to get politicians to listen. The protest, which was set up by Uncommon Creative Studio and is backed by charity Carers Trust, has been launched in conjunction with a petition which calls on the government to give all unpaid carers the legal right to a break. Kirsty McHugh, CEO of Carers Trust, said: 'It's incredibly disappointing that the UK Government still hasn't given unpaid carers a right to respite. For decades, successive governments have depended on unpaid carers to provide social care on the cheap, which has delayed the need to come up with long-term funding and support. 'Whilst the government is focused on strengthening employment rights, it seems to have forgotten unpaid carers – who can't take a break at all.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Why we need to talk about periods, breasts and injuries in women's sport
The Euros are reaching their conclusion in a massive summer across women's sport. But away from the drama and excitement on the pitch, there is also a scientific revolution taking place. Teams of scientists are researching the unique ways that elite sport affects the female body – how breasts alter the way you run, but the right sports bra could give you the edge; how the menstrual cycle could impact performance and what role period trackers could play; and why is there a higher risk of some injuries, and what can be done to avoid them? It's a far cry from the era when professional female athletes told me they were thought of simply as "mini-men". Breast biomechanics Cast your mind back to the iconic scene from the final of the last European Championships in 2022. It was extra time at Wembley and Lioness Chloe Kelly scored the winning goal against Germany. In the ensuing euphoria, she whipped off her England shirt showing the world her sports bra. It was fitted by Prof Joanna Wakefield-Scurr, from the University of Portsmouth, who proudly goes by the nickname the Bra Professor. Here are her breast facts: Breasts can bounce an average of 11,000 times in a football match An average bounce is 8cm (3in) without appropriate support They move with up to 5G of force (five times the force of gravity), comparable to the experience of a Formula 1 driver Laboratory experiments – using motion sensors on the chest – have revealed how a shifting mass of breast tissue alters the movement of the rest of the body, and in turn, sporting performance. "For some women, their breasts can be really quite heavy and if that weight moves, it can change the movement of your torso, it can even change the amount of force that you exert on the ground," Prof Wakefield-Scurr tells me. Compensating for bouncing breasts by restricting the movement of your upper body alters the positioning of the pelvis and shortens the length of each stride. That's why sports bras are not just for comfort or fashion, but a piece of performance gear. "We actually saw that low breast support meant a reduction in stride length of four centimetres," Prof Wakefield-Scurr explains. "If you lost four centimetres every step in a marathon, it adds up to a mile." Sports bras also protect the delicate structures inside the breast, "if we stretch them, that's permanent," the professor says, so "it's about prevention rather than cure". The menstrual cycle and its effect on performance The menstrual cycle has a clear impact on the body – it can affect emotions, mood and sleep as well as cause fatigue, headache and cramps. But Calli Hauger-Thackery, a distance runner who has represented Team GB at the Olympics, says talking about its sporting impact is "still so taboo and it shouldn't be, because we're struggling with it". Calli says she always notices the difference in her body in the lead up to her period. "I'm feeling really fatigued, heavy legs, I [feel like I'm] almost running through mud sometimes, everything's more strained than it should be," she says. Calli finds she "lives" by her menstruation tracker, as being on her period is a source of anxiety "especially when I've got big races coming up". One of those big races was in April – the Boston Marathon – and Calli's period was due. She finished in sixth place, and recalls that she "luckily got through" - but says she can't help wondering if she could have done even better. Can elite sport damage women's fertility? Football boot issues reported by 82% of female players The menstrual cycle is orchestrated by the rhythmic fluctuations of two hormones – oestrogen and progesterone. But how big an impact can that have on athletic performance? "It's very individual and there's a lot of nuance here, it's not quite as simple as saying the menstrual cycle affects performance," says Prof Kirsty Elliott-Sale, who specialises in female endocrinology and exercise physiology at Manchester Metropolitan University. "Competitions, personal bests, world records, everything has been set, won and lost on every day of the menstrual cycle," she says. This famously includes Paula Radcliffe, who broke the marathon world record while running through period cramps in Chicago in 2002. Working out whether the menstrual cycle affects sporting ability requires an understanding of the physiological changes that hormones have throughout the body, the challenge of performing while experiencing symptoms, the psychological impact of the anxiety of competing during your period and perceptions about all of the above. Prof Elliott-Sale says there "isn't a phase where you're stronger or weaker", or where "you're going to win or you're going to lose", but in theory the hormones oestrogen and progesterone could alter parts of the body such as bone, muscle or heart. "What we don't yet understand is: Does that have a big enough effect to really impact performance?" she says. The professor adds that it is "a very sensible conclusion" that poor sleep, fatigue and cramping would have a knock-on effect on performance, and that dread and anxiety were an "absolutely tangible thing" for athletes on their period who are performing in front of large crowds. She has spoken to athletes who "sometimes even triple up with period pants" to avoid the risk of leaking and embarrassment, and "that's a heavy mental burden". Rugby union team, Sale Sharks Women have been working with Manchester Metropolitan University. I met Katy Daley-McLean, former England rugby captain and England all-time leading point scorer. The team are having open discussions around periods to help them understand the impact that menstruation can have, and how to plan for it. This includes taking ibuprofen three days before, rather than thinking: "I can't do anything about it," Daley-McLean says. "It's through that knowledge and that information that we can talk about this, we can put plans in place, and we can change our behaviour to make you a better rugby player," she says. How to avoid injuries One issue that has emerged as women's sport has been given more attention is a difference in the susceptibility to some injuries. Most of the attention has been around the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) – a part of the knee that attaches the upper and lower parts of the leg together. Injuries can be brutal and take a year to recover from. Not only is the risk three to eight times greater in women than men, depending on the sport, but they are becoming more common, says Dr Thomas Dos'Santos, a sports biomechanics researcher at Manchester Metropolitan University. However, there is "no simple answer" to explain the greater risk in women, he says. Partly it could be down to differences in anatomy. Bigger hips in women mean the top of the thigh bone starts from a wider position and this changes the angle it connects to the lower leg at the knee, potentially increasing risk. The ACL is also slightly smaller in women "so it's a little bit weaker, potentially", Dr Dos'Santos explains. ACL injuries can happen at all stages of the menstrual cycle, but hormonal changes are also being investigated, including a study sponsored by Fifa, the governing body for world football. High levels of oestrogen prior to ovulation could alter the properties of ligaments, making them a bit more stretchy so "there could be an increased risk of injury, theoretically," he says. But Dr Dos'Santos argues it's important to think beyond pure anatomy as women still do not get the same quality of support and strength training as men. He compares it to ballet, where dancers do receive good quality training. "The [difference in] incidence rates is basically trivial between men and women," Dr Dos'Santos says. There is research into whether it is possible to minimise the risk of ACL injuries, by training female athletes to move in subtly different ways. But there is a risk of lessening performance, and some techniques that put strain on the ACL – like dropping the shoulder to deceive a defender before bursting off in another direction – are the necessary moves in sports like football. "We can't wrap them up in cotton wool and say you should avoid playing sport," Dr Dos'Santos says. "What we need to do is make sure that they're strong enough to tolerate those loads, but it isn't just as simple as some people saying we can 100% eradicate ACL injuries, we can't." No longer 'mini-men' Even though there are still many unanswered question, it is still a world of difference for Katy Daley-McLean at Sale Sharks Women. When she got her first cap in 2007, she remembers that all the assumptions around how her body would perform were based on the data from male rugby players. "We were literally treated as mini-men," Daley-McLean recalls. And now, she says, girls and women don't feel like the outsiders in sport, which is not only improving performance at the elite level but helping to keep more women in sport. "It's awesome, it's something to be celebrated because if you look at the stats, one of the biggest reasons young girls drop out of sport is body image, it's around periods and not having a correct sports bra, which is so easily sorted." Inside Health was produced by Gerry Holt More Weekend Picks by James Gallagher I found a bacteria-eating virus in my loo - could it save your life? Vitamin pills and icy swims: Can you really boost your immune system? How our noisy world is seriously damaging our health
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
No, not crunches — trainer says these 5 bodyweight moves are the secret to building stronger abs
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. You don't need a gym full of weights to build the kind of core strength you're aiming for. While many people turn to weighted ab exercises, online trainer James Stirling says you can achieve it with just your bodyweight and shares his 30-minute routine to help you get there. There aren't any of the same old classics like sit-ups and crunches, but instead a smart mix of isometric holds, controlled movements, and full-body stability work that hits your core from every angle. This is a challenging core routine, but it's suitable for a range of fitness levels. Feel free to reduce the number of rounds or adjust rest times if it feels too intense. And if you're currently managing an injury or health concern, check in with a medical or fitness professional before giving it a go. Watch The London Fitness Guy's No-Equipment Core Workout I recommend watching the video from Stirling's Instagram page, where he regularly shares home-friendly strength-building routines. It shows him demonstrating all five moves, which I find really helpful when following a workout at home without a trainer there in person to correct my form. Although I said it's a no-equipment routine, you may have noticed Stirling does the workout on a mat in his home. This helps cushion your back, bum, and joints while working through the exercises. If you're on the lookout for a suitable mat, I can point you in the direction of our hand-picked guide to the best yoga mats. The Manduka Prolite is one of our top picks for a reason. It offers reliable grip and cushioning for everything from ab workouts to cooldown stretches. As my colleague Sam said in her review of the mat, it 'gives the right amount of grip and flexibility to flow between poses(/exercises)."View Deal How do bodyweight moves build strength? Bodyweight exercises like hollow holds, planks, and shoulder taps might look simple, but they can be incredibly effective for building strength, especially in your core. These moves use your own body as resistance, forcing your muscles to engage, stabilise, and control each movement. While lifting weights involves external resistance, bodyweight training is still a form of resistance exercise. Instead of using dumbbells or gym machines, you work against gravity and your mass. Exercises like Copenhagen planks or leg raises engage multiple muscle groups at once, which requires extra balance and control on less stable surfaces. That extra challenge encourages your core muscles to work harder and grow stronger in a way that supports everyday movement. To see real progress, consistency and progression are key. You can increase the number of rounds, shorten your rest periods, or hold each move for longer to keep challenging your muscles. If you're just starting out, completing one or two circuits is a great foundation, and you can gradually build from there. One of the biggest strengths of bodyweight routines is how easy they are to fit into your life. You do not need a gym or expensive gear, just a little space and the willingness to move. Whether you're fitting in a quick session between tasks or winding down in the evening with a short circuit, it is consistent effort that builds strength over time. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button. More from Tom's Guide Fibermaxxing is trending right now — here's what to know before you try it Forget the sauna — soaking in a hot tub could be better for your health, says new study I hiked through rain, wind and fog in the Rab Firewall Mountain Waterproof Jacket — here's my verdict
