Myocardial Performance in Elite Athletes: The Role of Homocysteine, Iron, and Lipids

Background: The myocardial performance index (MPI) is a comprehensive measure of global systolic and diastolic function of the ventricle, and it has an inverse correlation with maximal oxygen consumption. In this study, the potential association between left ventricle MPI and biochemical biomarkers (including iron, homocysteine, and lipids) in elite athletes was investigated. Material/Methods: This cross-sectional observational study consisted of 80 young male elite soccer and basketball players (age: 18-34 years) examined for a seasonal medical check-up. Cardiological examinations and transthoracic echocardiography of these athletes were performed and blood samples were analyzed according to standard laboratory protocols. Tissue Doppler recording was acquired from the mitral annulus using apical 4-chamber view and then the tissue Doppler-derived MPI was computed. Results: Athletes were separated into 2 groups based on MPI values (MPI <= 0.40 and MPI >0.40), and baseline demo- graphic, clinical, and biochemical variables of the study participants were compared between these 2 groups. Serum triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein, total cholesterol, homocysteine levels, and iron parameters did not significantly differ between groups, while low-density lipoprotein level was significantly lower in the MPI <= 0.40 group (103.8 +/- 26.0 mg/dl vs. 116.8 +/- 30.2 mg/dl; p=0.043). Correlation analysis and multivariate linear regression analysis demonstrated a significant association between low-density lipoprotein and MPI. Conclusions: In this study, various biochemical markers were evaluated for possible association with left ventricle MPI as a surrogate of cardiac performance. Among these biomarkers, only low-density lipoprotein was significantly associated with MPI in elite athletes.