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Abstract

Trunk adiposity is a cardiometabolic risk factor that may relate to resting hemodynamics even in young athletic populations. PURPOSE: To examine associations between DXA-derived trunk percent fat and resting heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) in male collegiate rugby union athletes. METHODS: Twenty-one male rugby athletes completed morning testing (06:00–09:00 h) following ≥12 h fast and post-void, with stimulants (including caffeine) restricted ≥12 h and no exercise ≥24 h. Hydration was screened using urine specific gravity (USG; CLINITEK Status+ with Multistix 10 SG) and urine color (clear yellow). Whole-body DXA (Hologic Horizon W; APEX v5.6.1.3 rev 007) provided trunk percent fat (TRUNK %FAT). After 5-min seated rest (legs uncrossed; dominant arm supported at heart level on a table), manual BP was measured once using a Welch Allyn DS66 trigger aneroid with cuff size selected by arm circumference; HR was assessed via radial pulse palpation and recorded in the seca assessment record. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) was calculated as DBP + (SBP−DBP)/3. Pearson correlations assessed associations; HR was also compared across trunk %fat tertiles. RESULTS: TRUNK %FAT was 21.8 ± 8.8%. Trunk fat mass was 9.6 ± 6.6 kg. HR, SBP, DBP, and MAP were 65.5 ± 9.2 bpm, 117.8 ± 9.3 mmHg, 74.9 ± 6.4 mmHg, and 89.2 ± 6.5 mmHg, respectively. TRUNK %FAT was positively associated with HR (r=0.49, p=0.023); trunk fat mass was similarly associated with HR (r=0.53, p=0.014) but not SBP (r=0.29, p=0.202), DBP (r=0.25, p=0.278), or MAP (r=0.30, p=0.185). HR differed across TRUNK %FAT tertiles (Low 58.9 ± 9.7; Mid 68.0 ± 8.3; High 69.7 ± 6.0 bpm; p=0.049). CONCLUSION: In male collegiate rugby union athletes, greater DXA-derived trunk adiposity was associated with higher resting HR but not BP. These findings suggest central adiposity and resting HR may capture complementary cardiometabolic risk signals in this population.

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