A new research project to identify the effects of exercise on young people’s hearts will collect data from 100 Manchester United Academy football players as part of the study.

The youngsters will have their hearts monitored by the latest imaging technology to give invaluable insights into how young people’s hearts work while doing exercise.

The project, led by the Bristol Heart Institute at the University of Bristol - together with partners Toshiba Medical Systems, Bristol’s Clinical Research and Imaging Centre (CRICBristol), the University of Exeter‘s Children’s Health and Exercise Research Centre and Manchester United - will identify the healthy limits and wider benefits of exercise for young elite athletes, healthy children and children with congenital heart defects.

The overall aim of the project is to more precisely identify the safe levels of exercise for children with congenital heart disease, as well as to clearly define the positive benefits that regular exercise delivers to healthy children over time.

“This research will provide us with the first ever normative database for the effects of exercise on young hearts,” said Professor Craig Williams, head of the University of Exeter‘s Children’s Health and Exercise Research Centre.

“This research will allow us to better identify how much activity and how often exercise can be taken, as at present clinicians aren’t really sure what advice for children with certain conditions should be prescribed.

“Additionally, the benefits of better understanding the effect of exercise on normal healthy children will help the health service identify and prescribe regimes that help ease treatment burdens for young people with sedentary lifestyles.”

The research partnership will investigate the fitness levels of 300 children while exercising, when the heart is working harder. Participants comprise 100 children born with heart conditions, 100 healthy children and adolescents and 100 elite junior athletes from the Manchester United Academy.

The first stage of the research collaboration will take place early this year, with the testing of 40 children with congenital heart disease, 40 normal healthy children and 20 elite athletes. Cross group tests and findings for the full 300 participants is expected to be completed by 2016.