Level of oxytocin prior to rugby and handball matches: An exploratory study among groups of Polish players

Abstract

The aim of the present exploratory study was to assess the changes in urinary oxytocin (OT) concentration during the period between five days before, and on the day of match, among rugby and handball players. Nine male rugby players with a mean age of 27.62 years (SD = 4.21) and 18 male handball players with a mean age of 17.03 years (SD = 0.57) participated. Urinary oxytocin level was measured by ELISA immunoassay as a ratio to the concentration of creatinine [mg/ml] measured through colorimetric detection. The relative level of OT to creatinine (OT/CRE) significantly differed between the type of player (rugby or handball) but not between times of measurements. Significant differences were only between OT/CRE level in a day of match in rugby players and in 5 days before match in handball players (p<0.05). There was no change in oxytocin levels during the time periods between five days before and on the day of a match, in either of the two kinds of players. The change in oxytocin might be traceable during the match but not before a match and this perhaps depends on a more subtle context of competition, but not on the assumption of competition. Further studies are needed based on more homogenous group with higher number of matches.

Systematic review: pain, cognition, and cardioprotection—unpacking oxytocin’s contributions in a sport context

“…This is evident in studies examining interactions between pets and their owners, as well as father-infant dynamics, highlighting oxytocin’s role in enhancing social bonding and trust, potentially influencing sports performance ( Mitkidis et al, 2015 ; Gray et al, 2017 ; Nagasawa et al, 2020 ; Rossi et al, 2018 ; Schreiner, 2016 ). Oxytocin’s role in sports-related physical contact underlines its significance in enhancing team cohesion, trust, and overall wellbeing in athletes ( Mitsui et al, 2011 ; Kociuba et al, 2023 ; Frey Law et al, 2008 ; Bellosta-Batalla et al, 2020 ; McGuire et al, 2015 ; Rossi et al, 2018 ). Physical touch in sports, such as grappling, instead of kicking and punching can lead to increased oxytocin levels, enhancing social bonding and reducing stress ( Rassovsky et al, 2019 ; Haynes et al, 2022 ) hinting at the idea, that the intensity and salience of the touch might matter.…”

“…Rugby, which involves high physical contact, and handball, which besides slightly different contact valence requires specialized team coordination, have already been investigated in connection with competitions ( Kociuba et al, 2023 ), however, the half-life of oxytocin was not considered properly when measuring urinary samples days away from the competition itself. A study also recorded that acute hypoxia stimulates oxytocin release from the rat hypothalamus whereas thyrotropin-releasing hormone has an inhibitory action during a stress response.…”

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“…This is evident in studies examining interactions between pets and their owners, as well as father-infant dynamics, highlighting oxytocin's role in enhancing social bonding and trust, potentially influencing sports performance (Mitkidis et al, 2015;Gray et al, 2017;Nagasawa et al, 2020;Rossi et al, 2018;Schreiner, 2016). Oxytocin's role in sports-related physical contact underlines its significance in enhancing team cohesion, trust, and overall wellbeing in athletes (Mitsui et al, 2011;Kociuba et al, 2023;Frey Law et al, 2008;Bellosta-Batalla et al, 2020;McGuire et al, 2015;Rossi et al, 2018). Physical touch in sports, such as grappling, instead of kicking and punching can lead to increased oxytocin levels, enhancing social bonding and reducing stress (Rassovsky et al, 2019;Haynes et al, 2022) hinting at the idea, that the intensity and salience of the touch might matter.…”

“…Rugby, which involves high physical contact, and handball, which besides slightly different contact valence requires specialized team coordination, have already been investigated in connection with competitions (Kociuba et al, 2023), however, the half-life of oxytocin was not considered properly when measuring urinary samples days away from the competition itself. A study also recorded that acute hypoxia stimulates oxytocin release from the rat hypothalamus whereas thyrotropin-releasing hormone has an inhibitory action during a stress response.…”