Hormonal Changes in High-Level Aerobic Male Athletes during a Sports Season

Javier Alves, Víctor Toro, Gema Barrientos, Ignacio Bartolomé, Diego Muñoz and Marcos Maynar
Additional contact information
Javier Alves: Department of Sport Science, Faculty of Education, Pontifical University of Salamanca, C/Henry Collet, 52–70, CP: 37007 Salamanca, Spain
Víctor Toro: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Sports Science Faculty, University of Extremadura, University Avenue, s/n CP: 10003 Cáceres, Spain
Gema Barrientos: Department of Sport Science, Faculty of Education, Pontifical University of Salamanca, C/Henry Collet, 52–70, CP: 37007 Salamanca, Spain
Ignacio Bartolomé: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Sports Science Faculty, University of Extremadura, University Avenue, s/n CP: 10003 Cáceres, Spain
Diego Muñoz: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Sports Science Faculty, University of Extremadura, University Avenue, s/n CP: 10003 Cáceres, Spain
Marcos Maynar: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Sports Science Faculty, University of Extremadura, University Avenue, s/n CP: 10003 Cáceres, Spain

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 16, 1-12

Abstract: The aim of this study was to determine the possible changes in plasma of several hormones such as Luteinizing Hormone, Testosterone, Cortisol and Insulin in endurance runners during the sports season. Twenty-one high-level male endurance runners (22 ± 3.2 years, 1.77 ± 0.05 m) participated in the study. Basal plasma hormones were measured at four moments during the season (initial, 3, 6 and 9 months), and were analyzed using ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay). Testosterone and Luteinizing Hormone (LH) suffered very significant decreases ( p < 0.01) at 3 months compared with the beginning and an increase ( p < 0.05) at 6 and 9 months compared with 3 months. Insulin level was significantly lower ( p < 0.05) at 3, 6 and 9 months compared with the initial test. Insulin and cortisol were associated inversely (r = 0.363; β = −0.577; p = 0.017) and positively (r = 0.202; β = 0.310; p = 0.043), respectively, with the amount of km per week performed by the runners. There was a significant association between km covered at a higher intensity than the anaerobic threshold and I (r = 0.580; β = −0.442; p = 0.000). Our findings indicate that testosterone, LH and insulin were more sensitive to changes in training volume and intensity than cortisol in high-level endurance runners. Basal testosterone and LH concentrations decrease in athletes who perform a high volume of aerobic km in situations of low energy availability.

Keywords: hormones; LH; testosterone; cortisol; insulin; athletes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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