Damage to Liver and Skeletal Muscles in Marathon Runners During a 100 km Run With Regard to Age and Running Speed

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine: (1) whether damage to liver and skeletal muscles occurs during a 100 km run; (2) whether the metabolic response to extreme exertion is related to the age or running speed of the participant; (3) whether it is possible to determine the optimal running speed and distance for long-distance runners’ health by examining biochemical parameters in venous blood. Fourteen experienced male amateur ultra-marathon runners, divided into two age groups, took part in a 100 km run. Blood samples for liver and skeletal muscle damage indexes were collected from the ulnar vein just before the run, after 25, 50, 75 and 100 km, and 24 hours after termination of the run. A considerable increase in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) was observed with the distance covered (p < 0.05), which continued during recovery. An increase in the mean values of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK) and C-reactive protein (CRP) (p < 0.05) was observed with each sequential course. The biggest differences between the age groups were found for the activity of liver enzymes and LDH after completing 75 km as well as after 24 hours of recovery. It can be concluded that the response to extreme exertion deteriorates with age in terms of the active movement apparatus.

The altered human serum metabolome induced by a marathon

“…Additionally, elevated p-hydroxyphenylacetic acid and p-hydroxyphenyllactic acid could be indicative of mild liver injury/damage (Ghoraba et al, 2014;Liebich and Pickert, 1985), which concur with previous findings (Jastrzebski et al, 2015;Lippi et al, 2011).…”

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“…Results have shown that the average heart rate of the subjects was 142.03 ± 24.18 bpm (subject 1) and 144.74 ± 30.63 bpm. These data agree with the average heart rate of ultra-resistance runners in the study of Jastrzȩbski, Zychowska, Radzimiński, Konieczna, & Kortas (2015) which reached an average heart rate of 143.25 ± 4.65 bpm during a 100 km run. However, the athletes who made the Castle of Cartagena Race, with a distance of 54 km, reached a higher average with 158.8 ± 17.7 bpm (Ramos-Campo et al, 2016).…”

“…However, the athletes who made the Castle of Cartagena Race, with a distance of 54 km, reached a higher average with 158.8 ± 17.7 bpm (Ramos-Campo et al, 2016). Although the duration in this last race was closer to the duration of the World Record (between 6 and 7 h) and less than the study of Jastrzȩbski et al (2015) (between 9 and 12 h) they obtained a greater heart rate surely due to the unevenness of the test to be a race for mountain, demanding a greater physiological demand.…”

Plasma Actin, Gelsolin and Orosomucoid Levels after Eccentric Exercise

“…Like in other studies after eccentric exercise, plasma CK activity (Stäubli et al, 1985), as a non-specific marker of EIMD (Brancaccio et al, 2007, 2010), reached the maximal value at 24 h, 48 h, 96 h after training (Kanda et al, 2014; Pliauga et al, 2015) or during exertion in the ultra-marathon runners (Jastrzebski et al, 2015). …”