Hormonal assessment of participants in a long distance walk

Abstract

Background Exercise can disrupt homeostasis and trigger many adaptive responses in different hormonal axes. The study of hormonal interactions with physical activity is highly complex due to the number of variables, such as exercise duration, exercise intensity, individual level of training, circadian rhythm, nutritional status, and environmental conditions. Methods This study was performed to assess daily variations of thyroid hormones, cortisol, testosterone, insulin and glucose during moderate to high intensity aerobic physical activity for 5 consecutive days. Sample collection was performed at baseline in the morning and in the evening, immediately after finishing the activity, on the 4 initial days of the activity. Statistical analysis was performed using software STATA V14. Continuous variables are presented as means and standard deviations, while categorical variables are presented as absolute and percentage values. We used Shapiro–Wilk, Wilcoxon Sign, Mann–Whitney and Student’s T test, according the needs. Results The adrenocorticotropic axis showed an initial increase in the evening cortisol level compared to the baseline level in the morning (17.46 μg/dL and 15.97 μg/dL, respectively) and then exhibited a significant reduction between the 1st and 4th day of activity (17.46 μg/dL and 8.39 μg/dL, respectively; P = 0.001). The same pattern was observed for free thyroxine (T4) between the 1st and 4th day (1.31 and 1.14, respectively; P < 0.001). Conclusions Moderate to intense long duration physical activity resulted in little variation in the hormones assessed, with a trend toward reduced levels of cortisol and free T4. These findings highlight an adaptive hormonal mechanism in response to stress that is repeated daily, as shown by cortisol and thyroid function in our study.

Whole‐body vibration versus supervised aerobic exercise on hormonal parameters and inflammatory status in women with premenstrual syndrome: A randomized controlled trial

“…22 Exercise may decrease cortisol by improving mood and increasing brain neurotransmitters, as well as acting as a distractor from negative thoughts. hs-CRP is an acute inflammatory marker associated with PMS.Therefore, it is an important outcome for patients with PMS.…”

Effect of Walking on Physiological Stress in Premenstrual Syndrome:A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Moreover, sensitivity analysis and subgroup analyses showed an influence of exercise type (aerobic exercise) on lowering cortisol concentrations. Also, de Souza et al (25) found a reduction trend in blood cortisol levels in response to daily moderate to high intensity aerobic exercise for 5 consecutive days. These findings highlight an adaptive hormonal mechanism in response to repeated stress, as shown by reduced cortisol levels.…”

Normal Levels of TSH Affect the Metabolic Profile Differently in Physically Active Males and Females

“…In addition it was shown that long term exercise may have different impacts on TSH levels than an acute exercise program (Hawamdeh, Baniata, Mansi, Nasr, Aburjai, 2012). However, no changes in circulating TSH were observed in elite athletes who underwent regular training (Healy, Gibney, Pentecost, Wheeler, Sonksen, 2014;de Souza et al, 2019;Ceresini et al, 2019). With this background in mind our study was undertaken and was aimed at evaluation of relationships between circulating TSH within the normal range with metabolic risk factors (glucose, insulin, lipoproteins) separately in male and female physical education students engaged in regular physical activity due to their studies.…”