Hormone levels in adolescents with physiological and pathological course of puberty at different intensity of physical activity

Abstract

Scientific evidence suggests a global pandemic of motor inactivity in adolescents that contributes to a number of chronic diseases. At the same time, regular physical activity has a favorable effect on the growth and sexual development of children and adolescents. Purpose - to evaluate the influence of physical activity (PA) on the hormonal blood spectrum of adolescents with physiological and pathological course of puberty. Materials and methods. We examined 55 boys and 46 girls aged 11-17 years old. Concentration of total testosterone, estradiol, cortisol, prolactin was determined by enzyme immunoassay, serotonin content was determined by fluorometric method. PA was studied using the questionnaire of IPAQ (International Physical Activity Questionnaire). Depending on the course of pubertal period adolescents were divided into 2 groups: the Group 1 - with physiological course of puberty; the Group 2 - with pathological course of puberty (boys with delayed puberty and girls with menstrual disorders). Adolescents were divided into 2 groups according to their PA level: low (<7 points) and high (>9 points) levels of PA. Results. It was found that in boys with a physiological course of puberty high PA compared with low activity leads to an increase in testosterone concentration and has a positive effect on physical development. High PA, on the contrary, decreases the content of testosterone in the pathological course of puberty and possibly aggravates puberty in boys. In girls high PA against the physiological course of puberty leads to an increase in serotonin, an indicator of the stress-limiting system. In the pathological course of puberty high PA has a positive effect, reducing the levels of testosterone and prolactin compared with low activity, which may contribute to the normalization of menstrual function, as well as reducing stress levels. Conclusions. Physical activity in adolescents should continue to be encouraged, given its positive effect on the hormonal blood spectrum. However, gender differences, pubertal development status and different mechanisms of adaptation to PA of girls and boys should be taken into account. It is very important to determine the optimal level of PA to meet the needs of children and adolescents, which would have a beneficial effect on both physical and psycho-emotional development. The research was carried out in accordance with the principles of the Helsinki Declaration. The study protocol was approved by the Local Ethics Committee of the participating institution. The informed consent of the patient was obtained for conducting the studies. No conflict of interests was declared by the authors.