Effects of Physical Training on Endocrine and Autonomic Response to Acute Stress

Abstract

The effects of physical training on autonomic response to acute stress are controversial. In this study, heart rate (HR) and skin conductance level (SCL) were continuously recorded in response to a mental stressor in a sample of elite athletes before and after a period of training and competition. The free testosterone to cortisol ratio (FTCR) and the Profile of Mood States (POMS) were used as markers of training impact. After the training, the men and women showed a significant FTCR decrement, although mood and the autonomic response to the acute stressor were not strongly altered. Although men showed significantly lower HR values after training, the results suggest that subjects suffered a transitory state of hormonal overstrain rather than a serious problem of adaptation to training.

Salivary Testosterone and Cortisol Responses to Cycle Ergometry in Basketball Players with Different Training Volume

“…With regard to cortisol, since drops and rises in the exercise-induced response have been reported after regular training, a more tentative training volume-related hypothesis was proposed, that is, the higher the volume, the lower the response. Finally, in accordance with other findings previously reported in our laboratory (Salvador et al., 2001), significant decreases in the Tsal/Csal ratio as a function of the training volume were hypothesized.…”

“…The Tsal/Csal ratio was calculated by expressing Tsal in pmol/l and Csal in nmol/l, as initially suggested by Adlercreuz et al (1986). This transformation has been followed in numerous studies (Banfi et al, 1993; Moya-Albiol et al., 2001; Salvador et al, 2001; Tegelman et al, 1990; Vervoorn et al, 1991; Vervoorn et al, 1992), which facilities comparative analysis.…”

“…More specifically, the testosterone/cortisol ratio has been proposed to indicate the adaptation to training, since it expresses the balance between anabolic and catabolic processes (Adlercreutz et al, 1986). Additionally, it could be useful in determining the intensity of an acute effort by studying the recov-ery of the subjects (Moya-Albiol et al, 2001;Salvador et al, 2001).…”

“…By comparison, testosterone decreases and cortisol increases have been described after training (Bosco et al, 2000; Suay et al., 1997), though others report no significant changes (López-Calbet et al, 1993). Recently, we found a decrease in serum testosterone/cortisol ratio after 5 months of training in professional athletes from several disciplines (Salvador et al, 2001).…”

A necessidade de parâmetros referenciais de cortisol em atletas: Uma revisão sistemática

“…Os valores de cortisol encontrados em situações desportivas foram comparados com as coletas basais/repouso em 27.7% dos artigos (Coutts, Wallace, & Slattery, 2007;Filaire, Sangnol, Ferrand, Maso, & Lac, 2001;Garcia et al, 2002;Georgopoulos et al, 2011;Minetto et al, 2008;Salvador, Ricarte, González-Bono, & Moya-Albiol, 2001). As concentrações de cortisol em condições de repouso fora da situação competitiva e de repouso em situação competitiva foram analisadas em 36.5% dos estudos (Filaire et al, 2001;Filaire, Alix, Ferrand & Verger, 2009;Filaire, Portier, Onen, & Filaire, 2010;Kivlighan, Granger, & Booth, 2005;Maso et al, 2002;Salvador, Suay, González-Bono, & Serrano, 2003;Strahler, Ehrlenspiel, Heene, & Ralf, 2010;Teixeira et al, 2009).…”