Effects of exercise training on heart rate and QT interval in healthy young individuals: are there gender differences?

AIMS: The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of exercise training on heart rate, QT interval, and on the relation between ventricular repolarization and heart rate in men and women. METHODS AND RESULTS: A 24 h Holter recording was obtained in 80 healthy subjects (40 males) who differed for the degree of physical activity. Trained individuals showed a lower heart rate and a higher heart rate variability than sedentary subjects, independent of the gender difference in basal heart rate. Mean 24 h QTc was similar in trained and non-trained men, while a significant difference was observed between trained and non-trained women. Exercise training reduced the QT/RR slope in both genders. This effect on the QT/RR relation was more marked in women; in fact, the gender difference in the ventricular repolarization duration at low heart rate observed in sedentary subjects was no longer present among trained individuals. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that the cardiovascular response to exercise training may be different in men and women. Women may benefit more from interventions aimed to increase physical activity as a tool for prevention of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.