Elite swimmers do not exhibit a body mass index trade-off across a wide range of event distances

Abstract

There is a trade-off reflected in the contrasting phenotypes of elite long-distance runners, who are typically leaner, and elite sprinters, who are usually more heavily muscled. It is unclear, however, whether and how swimmers' bodies vary across event distances from the 50 m swim, which is about a 20-30 s event, to the 10 000 m marathon swim, which is about a 2 h event. We examined data from the 2012 Olympics to test whether swimmers' phenotypes differed across event distances. We show that across all swimming event distances, from the 50 m sprint to the 10 000 m marathon, swimmers converge on a single optimal body mass index (BMI) in men's and women's events, in marked contrast with the strong inverse relationship between BMI and event distance found in runners. The absence of a speed-endurance trade-off in the body proportions of swimmers indicates a fundamental difference in design pressures and performance capability in terrestrial versus aquatic environments.

Association between the FTO A/T Polymorphism and Elite Athlete Status in Caucasian Swimmers

“…However, an increased body and surface area will raise drag, which will reduce racing speed for a given amount of mechanical power. The studies examining the body composition parameters of swimmers have been inconsistent, with an unclear pattern of anthropometrics across sprint and endurance events [15,20,21]. Gagnon et al analyzed data from the 2012 Olympics including 522 swimmers and 1060 runners to test whether runner and swimmer phenotypes varied across event distances.…”

“…They found that across distances from the 50 m sprint to the 10,000 m marathon, elite swimmers converge on a single most favorable BMI in women’s and men’s events, in contrast to the strong inverse association between event distance and BMI in professional runners. These results have shown a key difference in design pressures and performance capability in terrestrial versus aquatic environments [ 15 ]. The conclusions put forward by Gagnon et al may explain why the frequency of the A allele and the AA genotype did not differ between short- and long-distance swimmers in the present study.…”

“…A recent systematic review reported that polymorphisms in the FTO gene are strongly associated with enhanced susceptibility to excess body mass and they were identified as genetic variants linked to elite combat sports status [ 14 ]. It is well confirmed that anthropometrics and body composition are key parameters of physical performance and elite athletes vary phenotypically among events [ 15 ]. Long-distance events favor economy and endurance; consequently, the endurance of athletes has been attributed in part to their lower BMI and body fat.…”

“…Long-distance events favor economy and endurance; consequently, the endurance of athletes has been attributed in part to their lower BMI and body fat. Conversely, short events favor strength and speed, so sprint athletes tend to have higher BMI and greater local muscle mass [ 15 , 16 ]. Therefore, Guilherme et al assumed that genetic variants such as the FTO A/T polymorphism, which can influence body composition parameters, might affect elite athletic performance [ 14 , 16 ].…”

Sex‐based limits to running speed in the human, horse and dog: The role of sexual dimorphisms

“…38 The sex-related difference in body mass index of horses 39 and dogs also appears to be blunted relative to the ~11% sex-related difference observed in world-class F I G U R E 2 Running speed for the winning performance (n = 1) by year for the Kentucky Derby in horses (A) and English Derby in greyhounds (B); running speed for the world record (before 1967) or years' fastest 800 m performance in both male and female humans (C) humans. 40 Additionally, though substantial evidence supports that testosterone is strongly associated with sex-based differences in sports performance of humans, 12,33,41 the role of testosterone and androgen hormones may be less definitive among horses and dogs. After the removal of the animal's reproductive organ through neutering, evidence suggests there are no short or long term decrements in exercise performances for horses or dogs.…”