The benefits of winter sports on the cardiovascular system are still to be confirmed by researches. Through the statistical analysis of 37 nonprofessional athletes who have been engaged in winter swimming (CWS) for many years, along with the healthy controls, the general situation is recorded, as well as the laboratory examination of the body composition and the blood lipid. It is found that there are significant differences in homocysteine and ApoB/Apoa-1 ratio between the two groups, which show a downward trend in the CWS group; BMI index and BF% (body fat rate) in CWS group are significantly higher than those in the control group, showing a trend of overweight. The CWS group is divided into subgroups according to gender. It is found that the HDL level of female subjects is higher than that of men, and the ApoB/Apoa-1 ratio and the homocysteine level are lower than those of male subjects. Although the BMI index of female subjects is normal, the BF% is significantly higher than that of male subjects; In contrast, VATL (visceral adipose tissue level) and mm (muscle mass) are significantly lower than those in male subjects. Long term cold adaptation leads to the increase of the antioxidant capacity, better resistance to atherosclerosis, with reduced cardiovascular risk.
[1] Dannenberg A L, Keller J B, Wilson P W, et al. Leisure time physical activity in the Framingham offspring study. Description, seasonal variation, and risk factor correlates[J]. American Journal of Epidemiology, 1989, 129(1):76-88.
[2] Matthews C E, Freedson P S, Hebert J R, et al. Seasonal variation in household, occupational, and leisure time physical activity:Longitudinal analyses from the seasonal variation of blood cholesterol study[J]. American Journal of Epidemiology, 2001, 153(2):172-183.
[3] Ockene I S, Chiriboga D E, Stanek E J 3rd, et al. Seasonal variation in serum cholesterol levels:Treatment implications and possible mechanisms[J]. Archive of Internal Medicine, 2004, 164(8):863-870.
[4] Gasparrini A, Guo Y, Hashizume M, et al. Mortality risk attributable to high and low ambient temperature:A multicounty observational study[J]. Lancet, 2015, 386(9991):369-375.
[5] Park S, Kario K, Chia Y C, et al. HOPE Asia Network. The influence of the ambient temperature on blood pressure and how it will affect the epidemiology of hypertension in Asia[J]. Journal of Clinical Hypertension (Greenwich, Conn), 2020, 22(3):438-444.
[6] The Euro Winter Group. Cold exposure and winter mortality from ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, respiratory disease, and all causes in warm and cold regions of Europe[J]. Lancet, 1997, 349(9062):1341-1346.
[7] Piepoli M F, Hoes A W, Agewall S, et al. 2016 European Guidelines on cardiovascular disease prevention in clinical practice:The sixth joint task force of the European Society of Cardiology and other societies on cardiovascular disease prevention in clinical practice (constituted by representatives of 10 societies and by invited experts) developed with the special contribution of the Euro-pean Association for Cardiovascular Prevention & Rehabilitation (EACPR)[J]. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 2016, 37(29):2315-2381.
[8] Rossi V A, Schmied C, Niebauer J, et al. Cardiovascular effects and risks of recreational alpine skiing in the elderly[J]. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 2019, 22(Suppl 1):27-33.
[9] Kralova L I, Rychlikova J, Vavrova L, et al. Could human cold adaptation decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease[J]. Journal of Thermal Biology, 2015, 52:192-198.
[10] O'Rourke M F, Hashimoto J. Mechanical factors in arterial aging:A clinical perspective[J]. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 2007, 50(1):1-13.
[11] Newman M A, Pettee K K, Storti K L, et al. Monthly variation in physical activity levels in postmenopausal women[J]. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 2009, 41(2):322-327.
[12] Danet S, Richard F, Montaye M, et al. Unhealthy effects of atmospheric temperature and pressure on the occurrence of myocardial infarction and coronary deaths:A 10-year survey:The Lille-World Health Organization MONICA project (Monitoring trends and determinants in cardiovascular disease)[J]. Circulation, 1999, 100(1):E1-E7.
[13] Sixt S, Beer S, Blüher M, et al. Long-but not short-term multifactorial intervention with focus on exercise training improves coronary endothelial dysfunction in diabetes mellitus type 2 and coronary artery disease[J]. European Heart Journal, 2010, 31(1):112-119.
[14] Seals D R, Edward F. Adolph distinguished lecture:The remarkable anti-aging effects of aerobic exercise on systemic arteries[J]. Journal of Applied Physiology (Bethesda, Md.:1985), 2014, 117(5):425-439.
[15] Goto C, Higashi Y, Kimura M, et al. Effect of different intensities of exercise on endothelium-dependent vasodilation in humans:Role of endothelium-dependent nitric oxide and oxidative stress[J]. Circulation, 2003, 108(5):530-535.
[16] World Health Organization. Global recommendations on physical activity for health[R]. Geneva:WHO, 2010.
[17] De Lorenzo F, Mukherjee M, Kadziola Z, et al. Central cooling effects in patients with hypercholesterolemia[J]. Clinical Science, 1998, 95(2):213-217.
[18] Lubkowska A, Dolegowska B, Szygula Z, et al. Winterswimming as a building-up body resistance factor inducing adaptive changes in the oxidant/antioxidant status[J]. Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation, 2013, 73:315-325.
[19] Christodoulakos G E, Lambrinoudaki I V, Rizos D A, et al. Endogenous sex steroids and circulating homocysteine in healthy Greek postmenopausal women[J]. Hormones (Athens, Greece), 2006, 5(1):35-41.
[20] Gibas-Dorna M, Chęcińska Z, Korek E, et al. Variations in leptin and insulin levels within one swimming season in non-obese female cold water swimmers[J]. Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation, 2016, 76(6):486-491.
[21] Gibas-Dorna M, Chęcińska Z, Korek E, et al. Cold water swimming beneficially modulates insulin sensitivity in middle-aged individuals[J]. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 2016, 24(4):547-554.
[22] Lombardi G, Ricci C, Banfi G. Effect of winter swimming on hematological parameters[J]. Biochemia Medica (Zagreb), 2011, 21:71-78.
[23] Manolis A S, Manolis S A, Manolis A A, et al. Winter swimming:Body hardening and cardiorespiratory protection via sustainable acclimation[J]. Current Sports Medicine Reports, 2019, 18(11):401-415.
[24] Niebauer J, Müller E E, Schönfelder M, et al. Acute effects of winter sports and indoor cycling on arterial stiffness[J]. Journal of Sports Science & Medicine, 2020, 13, 19(3):460-468.
[25] Krautgasser S, Scheiber P, von Duvillard S P, et al. Physiological responses of elderly recreational alpine skiers of different fitness and skiing abilities[J]. Journal of Sports Science & Medicine, 2011, 10(4):748-753.
