Effects of a calcium supplement on bone mineral density in male cyclists.

AIM: The purpose of this study was to maintain or improve bone density in male road cyclists through provision of calcium and vitamin D3 supplementation ingested before cycling. METHODS: Participants were male cyclists (N=17), with a mean (±SD) age of 42.7 (9.4) years. Measurements of lumbar spine and hip areal bone mineral density (aBMD) were performed at the start and end of a cycling season. Cyclists were randomized into the calcium supplement (CAL) or the control group (CON) group based on lumbar spine T-scores. The CAL group was instructed to consume 1600 mg calcium and 1000 IU vitamin D3 prior to cycling for the 5-month period. RESULTS: Femoral trochanter aBMD significantly decreased during the 5 month cycling season. There was no difference in aBMD between CAL and CON groups. CONCLUSION: Negative effects of competitive cycling on aBMD in hip structures can be observed within 5 months. Calcium and vitamin D3 ingested prior to cycling does not ameliorate this effect. This proof of concept paper provides evidence that more work is needed to find mechanisms to protect cyclists from destructive bone loss in hip structures.

The influence of respiratory muscle training upon intermittent exercise performance.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of respiratory muscle training (RMT) on intermittent exercise performance, respiratory muscle strength (PI (max)), respiratory muscle fatigue (RMF), and dyspnea in soccer athletes. Collegiate soccer athletes (20 male, 7 female) were randomly divided into either a RMT or control condition during off-season conditioning. The RMT group performed a 30RM protocol (10 times weekly) for 5 weeks using a commercially-available training device, while the controls received no RMT. Performance was evaluated utilizing Level 1 of the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test (IRT) and dyspnea was assessed during and immediately following the IRT. RMF was quantified within 2 minutes (RMF2) and 10 minutes (RMF10) after completing the IRT. Following training, the RMT group significantly increased IRT performance by 216.6 +/- 231.0 meters (p = .008) while the 49.2 +/- 75.1 meter increase observed in the controls was not significant. PI (max) in the RMT group increased from 138.1 +/- 19.6 to 165.3 +/- 23.5 cmH (2)O (p < .001), with no significant change observed in the controls. RMT did not significantly affect RMF or dyspnea. In conclusion, RMT improved intermittent exercise performance in these soccer athletes. The mechanisms by which RMT improves performance warrant further study.

Adverse effects and drug interactions associated with fluoxetine therapy.

Fluoxetine, an inhibitor of serotonin reuptake, was released by the Food and Drug Administration in 1988 and was among the most prescribed drugs for that year. Although fluoxetine has been promoted as a safe antidepressant, a recent literature search revealed a number of case reports of adverse effects and drug interactions attributed to its use. This review familiarizes healthcare professionals with some of the currently known interactions and adverse effects and suggests ways of avoiding such events in clinical practice.