Prolonged Physical Effort Affects Cognitive Processes During Special Forces Training

Abstract

Abstract. This study aimed to investigate the effects of strenuous physical exertion on biomarkers of muscle damage, on physical and mental fatigue, and on cognitive processes. Seventeen military (males 24-40 years old) were tested cognitively at six time points, while they were progressively exhausted over the course of 102 h of continued operations. Three types of variables were analyzed: biomarkers of muscle damage [serum levels of creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)], reported physical fatigue (PF) and mental fatigue (MF), and cognitive processes [(verbal reasoning (VR), numerical reasoning (NR) and spatial reasoning (SR) and short-term memory (STM)]. The results revealed significant increases in CK, LDH, PF and MF. On the other hand, we found significant decreases in VR, NR, SR and STM, which were negatively correlated MF. Our results show additional evidences about the impact of strenuous physical exertion on muscle damage, physical and mental fatigue, and cognitive processes.

Esforço Físico E Restrição De Sono Modificam Marcadores Bioquímicos E Cognitivos Em Militares: Uma Revisão Sistemática

“…Entretanto, devido à grande variação na quantidade de dias de intervenção, a comparação entre os estudos pode sinalizar informações inconsistentes. Em consideração ao treinamento de busca e resgate, foco do presente trabalho, seis estudos (Legg & Patto, 1987;Christensen et al 2008;Welsh et al 2008;Tanskanen et al 2012;Tomczac 2013;Margolis et al 2014;Tomczak et al 2017;Hamarsland et al 2018) Os biomarcadores de lesão celular apareceram em sete estudos (Coutinho et al 2014;Margolis et al 2014;Suzuki et al 2014;Domingues et al 2015;Koury et al 2016;Hamarsland et al 2018;Santos et al 2018], sendo a CK a enzima mais comumente utilizada. A LDH foi dosada nas amostras de seis estudos, enquanto a AST e a Mb apareceram uma única vez cada.…”

“…Não obstante o avanço nas pesquisas com populações militares, não foi encontrado um grande número de estudos que avaliassem as lesões celulares (Margolis et al 2012;Coutinho et al 2014;Suzuki et al 2014;Domingues et al 2015;Koury et al 2016;Hamarsland et al 2018) e os marcadores de dano oxidativo (Tanskanen et al 2011;Suzuki et al 2014;Koury et al 2016;Varanoske et al 2018). As poucas evidências científicas com estas populações podem dificultar a leitura de quão afetados são estes profissionais pelas atividades laborais, atrapalhando também a adoção de medidas preventivas.…”

Enhancing operational rations for Special Operations Forces: A qualitative analysis and roadmap for product improvement

“…These individuals, known for their extreme preparation and specialization, often face extraordinary physical and mental challenges in highly sensitive missions and adverse environments. As a result, nutrition plays a crucial role in optimizing performance and preserving the health status (Domingues et al, 2015). To meet the nutritional needs of SOF soldiers in the first 72 h of mission, the Brazilian Army provides the Institutional Combat Operational Ration (Institutional‐COR), a set of food and accessories organized in three kits that contain enough food inputs to cover a period of 24 h each, following the specifications established by the Ministry of Defense Directive No.…”

“…Special attention has been given to the dietary patterns of soldiers in Special Operations Forces (SOF) (Farina et al, 2020), as they are involved in assault missions characterized by short, well-organized, violent attacks against specific objectives, often involving confrontations with the enemy that can result in up to 20 h of physical activity per day and a sleep window of approximately 4 h. These individuals, known for their extreme preparation and specialization, often face extraordinary physical and mental challenges in highly sensitive missions and adverse environments. As a result, nutrition plays a crucial role in optimizing performance and preserving the health status (Domingues et al, 2015). To meet the nutritional needs of SOF soldiers in the first 72 h of mission, the Brazilian Army provides the Institutional Combat Operational Ration (Institutional-COR), a set of food and accessories organized in three kits that contain enough food inputs to cover a period of 24 h each, following the specifications established by the Ministry of Defense Directive No.…”

“…In Brazil, the characteristics of operational rations are defined by military-technical sectors to achieve the expected quality based on various parameters, including the correct nutritional balance, safety, ease of preparation, appropriate weight and volume, and minimal waste production to optimize soldier operational performance. While it is known that operational rations must be 100% nutritionally adequate and properly sustain the soldier, this matter is highly controversial when considering increased metabolic demands associated with extreme environmental conditions and strenuous physical and psychological activities (Domingues et al, 2015).…”