The importance of aerobic capacity and nutrition in recreational master mountain runners’ performance and race-induced changes in body composition and biochemical blood indices

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the importance of aerobic capacity and nutrition on 28-km mountain running performance and race-induced changes in body composition and biochemical blood indices, in recreational master athletes of different performance levels. Twenty male master runners (age: 44.6 ± 7.7 years) were divided into two groups, slower and faster runners, according to their race performance. Maximum oxygen uptake [Formula: see text], velocity at [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text], oxygen consumption [Formula: see text], and velocity [Formula: see text] during the second ventilatory threshold were evaluated. Nutrition was assessed for one week before and during the race. Body composition was evaluated, and blood samples were collected before and 3 h after the race. Slower runners exhibited a greater reduction in lean body mass and greater changes in all muscle damage/inflammation/metabolism blood indices than the faster runners ( η2 = 0.201–0.927; p < 0.05). When all the participants were assessed as one group ( n = 20), significant correlations were found between [Formula: see text], vVO2Thr, race time, energy intake, expenditure, carbohydrate, protein intakes, and post-race changes in body composition and blood markers ( r: −0.825–0.824; p < 0.05). The strongest determinants were [Formula: see text] and vVO2Thr, while energy intake, expenditure, carbohydrate, and protein intakes seemed to be the weakest determinants of race performance and race-induced changes in body composition and blood indices. The results suggest that race-induced changes in body composition and blood indices are determined mainly by master runners’ race performance and endurance capacity and to a lesser extent by nutrition. However, it seems that carbohydrate and protein intakes have equal importance.

The emerging role of skeletal muscle as a modulator of lipid profile the role of exercise and nutrition

“…However, it has been recently proposed that fiber type composition per se may also have a significant contribution to the development of cardiometabolic diseases [9], but until now, only indications exist to support this suggestion. For example, endurance athletes are characterized by a high % of cross sectional area (%CSA) occupied by Type I and IIa fibers and a low %CSA occupied by Type IIx fibers [15,26], while they consume significantly higher amounts of fatty acids than the recommended [27][28][29][30][31] and have increased or at least the same intramuscular lipid concentrations compared to nonathletic, obese and diabetic populations [32]; however, they have better insulin sensitivity [33], lower Total Cholesterol (Chol), Triglycerides (Trig), Low-Density Lipoprotein blood (LDL) concentrations and greater High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) concentrations [28,29,31] compared to sedentary, obese and insulin resistance patients [34]. This "athletes' paradox" phenomenon has been attributed to the greater metabolic stress during their regular training but mostly to the increased oxidative capacity of athletes' skeletal muscles partly due to the increased proportion and enhanced metabolic properties of their Type I fibers, properties that are absent in nonathletic, obese and diabetic populations [33].…”

Body Composition, Fasting Blood Glucose and Lipidemic Indices Are Not Primarily Determined by the Nutritional Intake of Middle-Aged Endurance Trained Men—Another “Athletes’ Paradox”?

“…Additionally, a trained-registered dietician instructed all participants (detailed oral and written consulting) on how to record their nutritional intake habits for the following seven days. The formal 7-day nutritional recall questionnaires used in the present study were completed at the end of the seven days (visit 2) by each participant in the presence of our trained-registered dietician [ 42 , 43 , 50 ]. During the 7 days mentioned above, daily energy expenditure was evaluated by activity trackers provided to each participant during the first visit and returned on the second visit [ 42 ].…”

“…The formal 7-day nutritional recall questionnaires used in the present study were completed at the end of the seven days (visit 2) by each participant in the presence of our trained-registered dietician [ 42 , 43 , 50 ]. During the 7 days mentioned above, daily energy expenditure was evaluated by activity trackers provided to each participant during the first visit and returned on the second visit [ 42 ]. Finally, during the second visit, fasting blood samples were obtained.…”

“…Food models were employed to estimate the consumed food quantities. Furthermore, an experienced dietitian analyzed food diaries via the Food Processor Program (version 7.4, ESHA Research, Salem, OR, USA), including local-traditional food references [ 42 , 43 , 44 , 50 ]. ICC ranged from 0.850 to 0.901.…”

“…Based on the above, it could be suggested that as endurance athletes are characterized by higher proportions and sizes of oxidative muscle fibers [ 40 , 41 ], while their regular, high-volume endurance training leads to greater energy expenditure [ 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 ] and to volume dose-depended mitochondrial/oxidative capacities adaptations [ 37 , 46 ], the negative impact of unhealthy high-fat nutrition on their body composition, blood glucose and lipidemic indices concentrations will be of a lower extent, while their nutritional habits will not be the determinant parameters of their body composition, blood glucose concentration and lipidemic profile. On the contrary, the major determinant parameters of sedentary individuals’ body composition, blood glucose concentration and lipidemic profile should be their nutritional habits.…”