TSG ResearchLab gGmbH, Psychology Department, Zuzenhausen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, Physiology Department, Zuzenhausen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
Sci Total Environ. 2023 Nov 20;900:165707. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165707. Epub 2023 Jul 27.
Air pollution is a global issue known to effect on human health and performance. In the context of highly skilled athletes, the influence of air pollution on players' physical and technical abilities are established, yet its effects on cognitive performance have received little consideration. This study aims to address this research gap by comprehensively examining the influence of air pollution on the performance of highly skilled athletes using a holistic approach, including both the athlete's brain and body.
Between 2016 and 2022, a total of 799 soccer players (578 males, 221 females) belonging to a German professional first division club were measured on a battery of performance assessments, including physical, technical, and cognitive tests. The performance data were combined with the average daily concentration of three pollutants: PM, O and NO.
Increased levels of PM and O were primarily associated with decreased physical and technical performance, including slower sprinting times, impaired change of direction and worse speed and accuracy in the technical assessment. For instance, if the assessment test was held when PM levels were at 20 μg/m, players ran an average 22 ms slower on the 30 m sprint test, 36 ms slower on the change of direction test and showed a 1 % decrease in accuracy on the technical assessment (p < .001). Furthermore, higher concentrations of NO negatively impacted cognitive performance across four separate tests of athletes' executive functions (p < .05).
By encompassing physical, technical, and cognitive assessments, this study highlights the multifaceted nature of performance impairments resulting from air pollution exposure in a population characterized by have exceptional abilities across all three domains. These findings underscore the widespread impact of pollution on a diverse sample of athletes and emphasize the need to consider air pollution in the broader context of its effects on human health and the environment.
空气污染是一个全球性问题，已知会对人类健康和表现产生影响。在高技能运动员的背景下，空气污染对运动员身体和技术能力的影响已经得到证实，但它对认知表现的影响却很少受到关注。本研究旨在通过综合考察空气污染对高技能运动员表现的影响，用一种全面的方法来解决这一研究空白，包括运动员的大脑和身体。
在 2016 年至 2022 年间，对一支德国职业甲级俱乐部的 799 名足球运动员（578 名男性，221 名女性）进行了一系列表现评估，包括身体、技术和认知测试。将表现数据与三种污染物的平均日浓度（PM、O 和 NO）相结合。
PM 和 O 的水平升高主要与身体和技术表现下降有关，包括冲刺速度变慢、变向能力受损以及技术评估中的速度和准确性下降。例如，如果评估测试是在 PM 水平为 20μg/m 时进行的，那么运动员在 30 米冲刺测试中平均会慢 22 毫秒，在变向测试中慢 36 毫秒，在技术评估中准确性会下降 1%（p<0.001）。此外，NO 浓度升高对运动员四项执行功能测试的认知表现都有负面影响（p<0.05）。
通过包括身体、技术和认知评估，本研究强调了在一个在所有三个领域都具有卓越能力的人群中，由于空气污染暴露而导致表现受损的多方面性质。这些发现突显了污染对运动员这一多样化样本的广泛影响，并强调了在更广泛的范围内考虑空气污染对人类健康和环境的影响的必要性。
