Author: Pieter van der Meer
Journal: Sport en Strategie (2026) – Dutch

In a compelling feature by Sport & Strategie, researchers shed new light on how the hearts of female elite athletes adapt to intense training — and why those adaptations differ from men’s.

In a large-scale study conducted by Amsterdam UMC in collaboration with NOC*NSF, sports cardiologist Harald Jørstad and his team examined more than 700 elite athletes. For decades, most knowledge about the “athlete’s heart” was based primarily on male data. This research changes that narrative.

🔍 What did they discover?
Female elite athletes mainly show enlargement of the heart chambers, while the heart muscle wall itself does not significantly thicken — a key difference from male athletes. This distinction is crucial: in women, a thickened heart wall may more often indicate an underlying heart condition rather than a normal training adaptation.

These insights help physicians better distinguish between healthy, sport-induced changes and potential cardiac risks. The result? More accurate diagnoses, better protection for athletes, and fewer unnecessary career-ending decisions.

🏃‍♀️ Ultimately, the article highlights an important shift in sports science: recognizing and respecting sex-specific physiology is not just progressive — it’s essential for athlete health and performance.

Note: This summary was generated with the assistance of ChatGPT based on the original article, with the aim of translating the research into practical insights for coaches and practitioners.