Investigation of the effect of cardiorespiratory fitness on cardiometabolic risk factors and testosterone levels in firefighters

Objective This study aims to investigate the impact of cardiorespiratory fitness on cardiometabolic risk factors and testosterone levels among firefighters. Method A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with seventy-four firefighters working in a metropolitan municipality. Anthropometric measurements, cardiometabolic risk parameters (high density lipoprotein, low density lipoprotein, triglycerides, total cholesterol), total testosterone (TT) levels were clinically evaluated for each participant. Results The proportion of firefighters with low TT was 20.3%, and a statistically significant negative relationship was found between TT and weight, BMI, body fat percentage, waist circumference, hip circumference, and HbA1c as cardiometabolic risk factors (p < 0.05). Additionally, statistically significant positive relationship was observed between metabolic equivalent scores and testosterone levels among the firefighters (p < 0.05). Conclusion The key findings of this study reveal significant differences in various cardiometabolic risk factors between firefighters with high fitness levels and those with lower fitness levels.