To assess exercise capacity, the research team measured peak oxygen consumption and analyzed cardiac function in 71 HAPI cohort adults aged 18 to 29 born at less than 30 weeks, and in 73 individuals in the same age group born at full term.
They found that participants born preterm had significantly lower oxygen uptake during exercise than those born at term, but there was no difference in cardiac function. The decrease in exercise capacity was even greater in subjects who had spent a long time in intensive care after birth.
“These findings suggest that muscle function and metabolism are affected by preterm birth,” explained Nuyt, head of the Department of Pediatrics at UdeM. “Until now, research has focused on the impact of preterm birth on the brain, lungs and heart. This study opens up a whole new field of research.”
Reversing the negative effects through regular exercise is also the finding of another study, published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, conducted on 21 HAPI cohort subjects. They, along with 37 young adults born at full term, saw their physical exertion capacity increase following a supervised 14-week exercise program.
“These are very encouraging preliminary results,” said Luu, a researcher at the Centre de recherche Azrieli du CHU Sainte-Justine who worked with her student, Camille Bastien-Tardif, first author of the study.
“This means that people born preterm, just like those born at full term, can improve their cardiovascular health by moving more and adopting healthy lifestyle habits. Other studies have shown the benefits of physical activity in preterm children, but our study suggests that these benefits continue into adulthood.”
