Effects of low vs. moderate dose of recreational football on cardiovascular risk factors

This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of recreational football performed once (LOW) vs. twice (MOD) a week on cardiovascular risk factors in healthy, sedentary men. Body composition, resting blood pressure, blood lipid profile and maximal oxygen consumption (VO(2)max) were measured at baseline, after a 12-week control and training period, using an interrupted time series study (study 1, n = 18: n = 8, LOW and n = 10, MOD) nested in a randomized parallel trial (study 2, n = 34: n = 18 LOW and n = 16 MOD). After the intervention in study 1, LDL-cholesterol (-12.3 mg.dL(-1) [-22.7 to -2.0]) and VO(2)max (4.5 ml.kg(-1).(.)min(-1) [1.2-7.8]) changed in LOW whereas differences were found in weight (-2.1 kg [-3.7 to -0.4]), BMI (-0.7 kg.m(-2) [-1.2 to -0.1]), total cholesterol (-22.2 mg.dL(-1) [-36.0 to -8.4]), no-HDL-cholesterol (-17.5 mg.dL(-1) [-30.5 to -4.5]), LDL-cholesterol (-14.9 mg.dL(-1) [-23.6 to -6.2]) and VO(2)max (5.7 ml.kg(-1).min(-1) [2.8-8.6]) in MOD. Study 2 showed no evidence of differences between groups. Our results therefore suggest positive health effects of recreational football even when performed at low frequency as it can happen in real context.