Exploring Physical Activity Levels and Performance Among High-Intensity Transplant Athletes at the World Transplant Games.
Bart Rienties, Leigh Martin, Fereshte Goshtasbpour
PMID 41056190WHAT IT FOUND
Highly active transplant athletes reported and recorded much more than general guidelines and competed at speeds and heart rates similar to nontransplant cyclists.
Objective app data, not self-report, was linked to race speed.
Key findings
01In 2023, 27 interviewed transplant athletes reported 8.33 h per week of physical activity, compared with 5.44 h per week before transplant, and 26 of 27 were similar or more active after transplant.
02Objective app data averaged 4.67 h per week of moderate to vigorous cycling, running, or swimming, and were lower than self-reported hours for all but one participant.
03Transplant athletes' best average speed and heart rate on the race track did not differ significantly from nontransplant athletes, and objectively recorded exercise, especially cycling distance and sessions, correlated with race speed.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study looked at highly active transplant athletes who had stable transplant function and a medical support letter, so it does not describe what most transplant recipients can do. Only 27 of 121 athletes were interviewed, and the interviewed group was faster and won more medals than the 94 athletes who did not join, so the interview sample may be self-selected. Objective app data were available for only 46 athletes, and some activities may not have been uploaded or recorded, so the app sample is incomplete. Self-reported activity was often higher than app-recorded activity, so self-report alone may overestimate exercise time. The nontransplant comparison group had no demographic data, so age and sex differences cannot be ruled out. The study measured activity and race performance, not health outcomes or long-term effects, and it cannot show that exercise caused the performance.
Declared interests
The authors reported financial support from the Open University Open Societal Challenges grant (Challenge No. 165); no other conflicts were stated.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that most transplant recipients can or should train like these athletes. The study used a small, self-selected group of high-intensity transplant athletes, and it did not test health outcomes or long-term effects.