Comparison of the effects of two antioxidant diets on oxidative stress markers in triathletes.

Intense exercise generates an imbalance in the redox system. However, chronic exercise can yield antioxidant adaptations. A few studies with humans have investigated the effects of antioxidant diets on athletes. Therefore we compared the effects of two dietary interventions on oxidative stress in competitive triathletes. Thirteen male triathletes were selected and divided into 2 groups: one that had a regular antioxidant diet (RE-diet) and the other that had a high antioxidant diet (AO-diet). The diet period was 14 days and blood samples were collected before and after this period. The AO-diet provided twice the dietary reference intake (DRI) of α-tocopherol (30 mg), five times the DRI of ascorbic acid (450 mg), and twice the DRI of vitamin A (1800 g), while the RE-diet provided the DRI of α-tocopherol (15 mg), twice the DRI of ascorbic acid (180 mg) and the DRI of vitamin A (900 µg). The oxidative stress parameters evaluated were: thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), total reactive antioxidant potential (TRAP), total sulfhydryl, carbonyl, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, hydrogen peroxide consumption and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity. We observed, after the diet period, an increase in sulfhydryl, TRAP, TBARS and SOD activity, and a decrease in carbonyl levels. However, no changes were found in hydrogen peroxide consumption or GPx activity. We concluded that antioxidant-enriched diets can improve the redox status of triathletes.

Six-minute walk distance and work relationship with incremental treadmill cardiopulmonary exercise test in COPD.

INTRODUCTION: Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is increasingly used to evaluate the overall impact of the illness on patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). While laboratory tests of exercise performance are costly, the 6-min walk test (6-MWT) can be more easily performed. Although the main outcome commonly used in this field test is the distance walked in 6 min (6-MWD), this measure does not account for differences in body weight. Previous studies showed a good correlation between the work performed during the 6-MWT with incremental cycling CPET, an exercise modality more associated with quadriceps fatigability and with lower peak oxygen consumption than incremental walking tests. OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the correlation between the 6-MWD and its derivative body weight-walking distance product, an estimation of the work performed during the 6-MWT, with peak from a treadmill CPET. METHODS: Thirty COPD patients [forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) = 39 ± 13%; peak predicted] performed CPET to the limit of tolerance on a treadmill and 6-MWT, 48 h apart.6-MWD and work were correlated to resting and exercise functional variables. RESULTS: The work of walking during the 6-MWT provided greater associations with peak than observed with 6-MWD. This was the case for FEV1, forced vital capacity, inspiratory capacity, lung diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide, peak , carbon dioxide output, minute ventilation and double product (r = 0.57, r = 0.57, r = 0.73, r = 0.7, r = 0.75, r = 0.65, r = 0.51 and r = 0.4, respectively; all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: A better association was found between the work estimated from the 6-MWT and peak achieved during CPET, in this case with a treadmill, than the 6-MWD alone.

Gaucher disease type I: assessment of basal metabolic rate in patients from southern Brazil.

INTRODUCTION: Gaucher disease (GD) is characterized by clinical heterogeneity and is associated with metabolic abnormalities such as increased resting energy expenditure. OBJECTIVES: To assess the basal metabolic rate (BMR) of patients with GD type I followed at the Gaucher Disease Reference Center of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fourteen patients (male=6) and 14 healthy controls matched by gender, age and body mass index (BMI) were included in the study. The nutritional status of patients was assessed by BMI. The BMR was measured by indirect calorimetry. In two patients, it was possible to perform BMR in the pre- and the post-treatment periods. RESULTS: Mean age and BMI of patients and controls were, respectively, 32.8 ± 17.6 and 32.1 ± 16.6 years and 23.3 ± 3.1 and 22.4 ± 3.1 kg/m(2). Twelve patients were receiving enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) with imiglucerase (mean duration of treatment=5.2 ± 4.3 years; mean dosage of imiglucerase=24.2 ± 7.3 UI/kg/inf). Five patients (36%) were overweight, and nine (64%) were normal weight. Mean BMR of patients on ERT was 27.1% higher than that of controls (p=0.007). There was no difference between the BMR of patients on ERT and not on ERT (n=4) (p=0.92). Comparing the BMR of patients on ERT and their controls with the BMR estimated by the Harris-Benedict equation, the BMR of patients was 6.3% higher than the estimated (p = 0.1), while the BMR of their controls was 17.0% lower than the estimated (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Most treated GD type I patients were normal weight. The patients including those on ERT showed higher BMR when compared to controls. Imiglucerase is probably unable to normalize the hypermetabolism presented by GD type I patients. Additional studies should be performed to confirm our findings.

Grelina, alimentação e exercício físico: os efeitos sobre o controle do apetite / Ghrelin, food intake and physical exercise: the effects about the appetite of control

A obesidade se tornou uma epidemia mundial nos últimos anos e vem trazendo preocupação aos órgãos de saúde pública do mundo todo. Sabe-se que os fatores que levam à obesidade são muitos e que seu tratamento deve ser acompanhado por uma equipe multidisciplinar para obter-se o melhor resultado possível na redução dos efeitos desta doença. É evidenciado que diversos hormônios compõem os mecanismos que regulam o metabolismo energético e o apetite. Muitos deles estão relacionados a aspectos que promovem o surgimento da obesidade, a qual tem relação proporcional ao comprometimento metabólico que acaba refletindo em diversas complicações para a saúde. A inibição ou a estimulação do apetite é componente importante no estudo da obesidade. A descoberta da grelina desencadeou uma cascata de estudos nas áreas de endocrinologia, nutrição e fisiologia do exercício. Muitos destes trabalhos foram desenvolvidos com sujeitos de diferentes composições corporais, gêneros, estados alimentares e com exercícios em diferentes intensidades de esforço. Dessa forma, o objetivo deste trabalho é sintetizar os principais trabalhos que envolvam o hormônio grelina em uma revisão que permita discutir os resultados sobre os efeitos deste hormônio nos diversos tecidos e sua participação na fisiologia humana com intenção de melhor compreensão sobre o assunto.

[Levels of beta-endorphin in response to exercise and overtraining]. / Níveis de beta-endorfina em resposta ao exercício e no sobretreinamento.

Overtraining (OT) is a complex and multifactorial sport phenomenon, and there is no independent marker that can diagnose OT. Interestingly, some symptoms of OT are related to beta-endorphin (beta-end(1-31)) effects. Some of its effects, such as analgesia, increasing lactate tolerance, and exercise-induced euphoria, are important for training. These effects can be reverted by detraining or OT, which may cause decrease in performance, reduced load tolerance, and depression. The main stimulus for beta-end(1-31) secretion is to exercise because its secretion is volume/intensity dependent for both aerobic and anaerobic exercise. Excess training, however, may reduce beta-end(1-31) concentrations, thus altering its beneficial effects. Therefore, beta-end(1-31) could be used as an additional OT marker, mainly because its effects are strongly related to OT symptoms.

Níveis de beta-endorfina em resposta ao exercício e no sobretreinamento: [revisão] / Levels of beta-endorphin in response to exercise and overtraining: [review]

O sobretreinamento (ST) é um fenômeno esportivo complexo e multifatorial; e atualmente não existe nenhum marcador independente que possa diagnosticá-lo. Interessantemente, alguns sintomas do ST apresentam relação com os efeitos da b-endorfina (b-end1-31). Alguns de seus efeitos são importantes para o treinamento, como analgesia, maior tolerância ao lactato e euforia do exercício. Esses efeitos podem ser revertidos por destreinamento ou por ST, ocasionando diminuição no desempenho, redução da tolerância à carga e depressão. O exercício físico é o principal estímulo da b-end1-31, pois sua secreção é volume/intensidade dependente, tanto para exercícios aeróbios quanto anaeróbios. No entanto, o treinamento excessivo pode diminuir suas concentrações, alterando assim seus efeitos benéficos para o treinamento. Portanto, a b-end1-31 poderia ser utilizada como um marcador adicional de ST, principalmente porque seus efeitos apresentam extensa relação com os sintomas do ST.

Overtraining (OT) is a complex and multifactorial sport phenomenon, and there is no independent marker that can diagnose OT. Interestingly, some symptoms of OT are related to b-endorphin (b-end1-31) effects. Some of its effects, such as analgesia, increasing lactate tolerance, and exercise-induced euphoria, are important for training. These effects can be reverted by detraining or OT, which may cause decrease in performance, reduced load tolerance, and depression. The main stimulus for b-end1-31 secretion is to exercise because its secretion is volume/intensity dependent for both aerobic and anaerobic exercise. Excess training, however, may reduce b-end1-31 concentrations, thus altering its beneficial effects. Therefore, b-end1-31 could be used as an additional OT marker, mainly because its effects are strongly related to OT symptoms.

The effect of ABO blood group on von Willebrand response to exercise.

Individuals of O blood group have significantly lower plasma levels of either Factor VIII (FVIII) or the von Willebrand factor (vWF). Conversely, there is accumulating evidence that elevated FVIII-vWF levels may represent an important risk factor for ischemic heart and venous thromboembolic disease. In this study, individuals exercised for 20 minutes at 10% below the first ventilatory threshold (aerobic threshold), which corresponds to 48% of maximum oxygen uptake. People with non-O blood group show higher resting and postexercise vWF levels compared with those of O blood group, as evidenced by a lower maximal heart rate. The groups were compared using the ANOVA one-way test, and a P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. These results could change the way in which exercise training is designed for both healthy and sick individuals because O group individuals could have a more thrombogenic response to exercise.

Heart rate and blood lactate responses to changquan and daoshu forms of modern wushu.

The development of specific training designed to enhance physiological aspects of performance relies heavily on the availability of accurate and validity physiological data. In the combat sport of Wushu, katas are used to develop aerobic fitness. It is arguably important to assess and monitor heart rate (HR) and lactate (La) responses when designing effective training programs. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate heart rate and lactate responses to forms execution among Wushu combatants. Male elite modern Wushu athletes (n = 4) from a South Brazilian regional team participated in the study. Athletes were aged 22.5 ± 2.08 years old and had at least eight years of Wushu experience. Athletes carried out the Changquan and Daoshu forms in random order, HR and La were measured pre- and post-exercise. Results indicate that HR was 176 ± 3 and 176 ± 2 bpm and La was 4.38 ± 1.3 and 5.15 ± 1.07 mmol·l(-1) for Changquan and Daoshu forms, respectively. There were no significantly differences in HR and La between the two forms. HR values represent 89.2 ± 1.1 and 89.1 ± 1.8% of age-predicted maximal heart rate and lactate was near of 4 mmol·l(-1) point. In conclusion, training programs to Wushu combatants could target the range of physiological values cited above with no differences between two forms. Key PointsHeart rate and lactate responses are not significantly different between Changquan and Daoshu forms for Wushu combatants.The Wushu katas could be used to develop aerobic fitness.

Efeitos do exercício e do treinamento físico na hemostasia / Exercise and training effects on blood haemostasis

O estado hipercoagulante pós-exercício tem sido bem demonstrado, pois aumentos na atividade coagulante são freqüentemente registrados após diversos protocolos de exercício. Um dos efeitos agudos do exercício mais consistente é o aumento da atividade coagulante refletido pelo aumento da atividade do FVIII, dos marcadores TAT e F1+2. Esse aumento é intensidade dependente. Quanto aos efeitos crônicos, a atividade coagulante de repouso não se modifica com o treinamento. Os níveis de FVIII pós-exercício, entretanto, são maiores em sedentários do que em treinados e os níveis de repouso de pacientes pós-infarto diminuem com o treinamento. A hiperfibrinólise provocada pelo exercício também está comprovada e, assim como a atividade coagulante, parece depender da intensidade. Foram registrados aumentos dos níveis de t-PA, u-PA, plasminogênio e diminuição dos níveis de PAI-1 após o exercício. Os níveis de repouso de t-PA de pessoas inativas é maior que em ativos e atletas. Além disso, pacientes pós-infarto apresentaram diminuição significativa dos níveis de PAI-1 após período de reabilitação física. Os dados mais controversos estão relacionados aos efeitos crônicos dos níveis de t-PA. Enquanto estudos demonstram níveis maiores de t-PA em treinados comparados a sedentários, outros mostram o contrário. Resultados mais consistentes acerca dos efeitos do exercício no processo hemostático, incluindo atividades coagulante e fibrinolítica, ainda são necessários. Existe ainda carência quanto aos efeitos crônicos do exercício, tanto em relação aos benefícios na saúde quanto à influência na performance de atletas.

Post-exercise hypercoagulability state has been well demonstrated as increases in coagulation activity are often reported after many exercise protocols. One of the most consistent effects of acute exercise is an increase in coagulation activity reflected by the FVIII activity of thrombin generation markers (TAT and F1+2). This increase is intensity-dependent. In relation to chronic effects, resting coagulant activity does not change with training. However, post-exercise FVIII levels have been reported to be greater in sedentary individuals than in trained subjects and resting levels of post-infarction patients decrease with training. Hyperfibrinolysis related to exercise has also been reported and, similar to coagulation activity, may be intensity-dependent. Increases in t-PA, u-PA, and plasminogen levels and decreases in PAI-1 after exercise have been reported. Resting t-PA levels of non-trained individuals are higher than in active subjects or athletes. In addition, post-infarction patients have a significant decrease of PAI-1 levels after rehabilitation. More controversial results are related to the chronic effects of t-PA. While some studies have shown higher levels of t-PA in trained individuals compared with non-trained subjects, others have not shown this. More consistent results related to the effects of exercise on the hemostatic process, including coagulation and fibrinolytic activities, remain necessary. Chronic effects of exercise need to be studied further, both in relation to the health benefits and the influence on the performance of athletes.

The ischemic rat heart releases S100B.

S100B is an astrocytic protein assessed in cerebrospinal fluid and serum as a biochemical marker of cerebral injuries. However, increasing evidences suggest the influence of extra cerebral sources on its serum levels. Since it was reported that the injured myocardium expresses S100B, we investigated whether the isolated heart releases this protein. The rat hearts were excised and perfused by the Langendorff technique of isolated heart perfusion. After stabilization, 10 hearts (ischemic group) were submitted to 20 minutes of ischemia and 30 minutes of reperfusion, and 5 hearts (control group) were submitted to 50 minutes of perfusion. The perfusion fluid was collected at pre-ischemia, and 0, 5, 10, 15 and 30 min after ischemia (or equivalent in controls) for S100B and cardiac troponin T (a heart injury marker) assays. In the ischemic group, S100B and troponin T levels increased significantly at time 0 min: S100B values [mug/L, median (IQ25/IQ75)] increased from < or = 0.02 (< or = 0.02/0.03) to 0.38 (0.22/0.84), while troponin T values [mug/L, median (IQ25/IQ75)] increased from 0.31 (0.15/0.45) to 2.84 (2.00/3.63). Our results point to the ischemic heart as an extra cerebral source of S100B.

Influence of exercise training frequency on cardiac and hepatic oxidative stress in rats.

The present study investigated the influence of different frequencies of moderate exercise (13 weeks of treadmill running at 60% of maximal oxygen consumption) on oxidative stress in the heart and liver in rats. Oxidative stress was evaluated by chemiluminescence and lipid peroxidation (LPO) through thiobarbituric acid reactive substances. Activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GHPx) and catalase (CAT) were also measured. The animals were divided into four groups: control (C), acute ([A], only one exercise session at the end of 13 weeks), low frequency ([LF], one session a week for 13 weeks) and high frequency ([HF], five sessions a week for 13 weeks). Chronic exercise promoted cardiac hypertrophy in the HF group. Myocardial LPO in groups A and LF was increased, whereas in the HF group, it was decreased when compared with group C. The HF group demonstrated decreased myocardial SOD and GHPx activities and increased CAT activity. All exercise groups exhibited an increase in LPO in the liver compared with group C. SOD activity in liver was lower in the HF group and higher in the LF group as compared with group C. GHPx activity was higher in group A in relation to group C. Hepatic CAT activity was higher in groups A, LF and HF. It is suggested that chronic exercise training at a submaximal level is better than infrequent exercise bursts to promote metabolic adaptations that minimize oxidative stress.

Hydrogen peroxide as a tool for studying oxidative stress in the heart

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was observed to depolarize the frog sartorius muscle and promote rhythmic contraction of frog cardiac ventricular rings or their contracture. This last effect was sodium-dependent. H2O2 perfused or injected into the aorta of the isolated rat heart induces a positive inotropic effect (with cardiac arrhythmias such as extrasystolic potentiations) followed by deoression of contractility or cardiac contractures, according to the dose employed. The last effects is similar to the "stone heart"observed in the reperfusion injury and may be ascribed to lipoperoxidation (LPO) of the membrane lipids, to protein damage, to reduction in the ATP level and/or to cardioactive compounds liberated by LPO. Besides its direct effect on the ATP level, H2O2 would react with iron ions to produce hydroxyl radicals that attack the cellular membranes. Deferoxamine, an iron chelator and scavenger of hydroxyl radicals, reduced the contractures induced by H2O2. Perfusion with H2O2 increased the LPO of cardiac homogenates measured by chemiluminescence, oxygen uptake and malonaldehyde formation. The fall in ATP levels and the LPO would result in calcium overload of the cardiac fibers and contracture ("stone heart"). The 45Ca uptake was increased by incubation of cardiac strips with H2O2. Previous perfusion of the isolated rat heart with nifedipine or indomethacin reduced the H2O2 cardiac contracture. Vitamin A, a quencher of singlet oxygen liberated during LPO, reduces the H2O2 cardiac contractures and also LPO. Gradual physical exercises, besides increasing the oxygen consumption, protected the heart from oxidative stress. The experimental production of hypothyroidism protected the heart against the H2O2 oxidative stress. The hearts of rats submitted to hypertension with high renin levels showed increased LPO, measured by chemiluminescence and oxygen uptake, indicating that this condition may be produced by oxygen species or causes their production. All these findings give support to the idea that the ischemia-reperfusion injury is an active oxygen species associated disorder that induces cardiac stiffness or contractures that would be produced by calcium overload. Thus, H2O2 may be useful for inducing experimental oxidative stress in the heart and for studying its oxidative status in physiological and pathological situations.