Intensity of Depression Symptoms Is Negatively Associated with Catalase Activity in Master Athletes.

BACKGROUND: This study examined associations between scores of depression (DEPs), thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase activity (CAT) in master athletes and untrained controls. METHODS: Participants were master sprinters (MS, n = 24; 50.31 ± 6.34 year), endurance runners (ER, n = 11; 51.35 ± 9.12 year), untrained middle-aged (CO, n = 13; 47.21 ± 8.61 year), and young untrained (YU, n = 15; 23.70 ± 4.02 year). CAT, SOD, and TBARS were measured in plasma using commercial kits. DEPs were measured by the Beck Depression Inventory-II. An ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, Pearson's, and Spearman's correlations were applied, with a significance level of p ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: The CATs of MS and YU [760.4 U·µL 1 ± 170.1 U·µL 1 and 729.9 U·µL 1 ± 186.9 U·µL 1] were higher than CO and ER. The SOD levels in the YU and ER [84.20 U·mL-1 ± 8.52 U·mL-1 and 78.24 U·mL-1 ± 6.59 U·mL-1 (p < 0.0001)] were higher than CO and MS. The TBARS in CO [11.97 nmol·L-1 ± 2.35 nmol·L-1 (p < 0.0001)] was higher than in YU, MS and ER. MS had lower DEPs compared to the YU [3.60 ± 3.66 vs. 12.27 ± 9.27 (p = 0.0002)]. A negative correlation was found between CAT and DEPs for master athletes [r = -0.3921 (p = 0.0240)] and a weak correlation [r = -0.3694 (p = 0.0344)] was found between DEPs and the CAT/TBARS ratio. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the training model of master sprinters may be an effective strategy for increasing CAT and reducing DEPs.

Higher sirt1 is associated with a better body composition in master sprinters and untrained peers.

Sirt1 is an enzyme involved in several anti-aging pathways. Associations between Sirt1, age, and body fat (BF) were assessed in master sprinters (MS; n = 35; 50.25 ±5.93 yr.), untrained young non-athletes (UY; n = 32; 23.78 ±3.98 yr.), and untrained middle-aged (UMA; n = 24; 47.29 ±8.04 yr.). BF was assessed using a skinfold protocol, and Sirt1 was measured in plasma by using commercial kits. Sirt1 of MS (17.18 ±4.77 ng/mL) was higher than UMA (6.36 ±2.29 ng/mL; p<0.0001) and did not differ from UY (20.26 ±6.20 ng/mL). Relative BF of MS was lower than UMA (12.71 ±4.07% vs. 22.13 ±4.18%; p<0.0001). Sirt1 was negatively correlated with chronological age (r = -0.735; p<0.0001) when combining UY and UMA in the analysis. However, when Sirt1 of MS and UY was analyzed together, no significant relationship between Sirt1 and chronological age was observed (r = -0.243; p = 0.083). Sirt1 correlated inversely with BF (r = -0.743; p<0.0001) for UY and UMA. Stepwise multiple regression revealed that being either a young or master athlete and body adiposity are possible predictors of Sirt1 levels. MS and UY were associated with higher levels of Sirt1, while UMA and increased BF were associated with lower levels of this enzyme. The relationships among Sirt1, BF, and chronological age of young and middle-aged non-athletes were not statistically significant when the middle-aged participants were MS. These findings suggest possible links between Sirt1 and body composition, which may play roles in the rate of biological aging.HighlightsLower levels of Sirt1 are associated with higher body fat.Master athlete lifestyle seems to promote higher Sirt1 Levels.

The beginning of success: Performance trends and cut-off values for junior and the U23 triathlon categories.

BACKGROUND: This study sought to determine cut-off values for each triathlon discipline to achieve podium in Junior (short distance; 750 m swim, 20 km cycle and 5 km run) and U23 (standard/Olympic distance; 1.5 km swim, 40 km cycle and 10 km run) triathlon events. Additionally, we aimed to investigate which discipline has the largest relationship with overall Junior and U23 triathlon performance, and the effect of sex and time in performance trends. METHODS: We included all data from Junior and U23 official races (International Triathlon Federation; ITU) of Junior (n = 3,314 finishes) and U23 (n = 5,092 finishes) categories held from 1999 to 2018. RESULTS: Men were significantly faster than women in both Junior (11.13%) and U23 (12.28%) categories. Swimming and cycling times were faster in 2009-2018 than in the 1999-2008 decade for men (3.36%; 6.49%), women junior (6.50%; 7.09%), men (0.15%; 3.46%) and women U23 (1.61%; 3.31%) respectively. Cycling was the discipline with the greatest influence on overall triathlon performance in Junior and U23 categories, regardless of sex or rank position. The cut-off values for the Junior category were (men/women): swimming, 9.2/9.4 min; cycling, 31.9/38.2 min; running, 16.8/18.9 min. U23's cut-off values were (men/women): swim, 18.0/19.4 min, cycling: 63.4/70.1 min; run, 33.9/38.7 min. CONCLUSION: Cycling was the discipline with the greatest influence on overall performance for both men and women in Junior and U23 categories. Moreover, swimming and cycling performances increased over the years for both sexes.

Is lifelong endurance training associated with maintaining levels of testosterone, interleukin-10, and body fat in middle-aged males?

BACKGROUND: Aging is associated with a gradual physiological decline, including an imbalance in hormone profile, increased adiposity, and reduced anti-inflammatory cytokines. However, lifelong physical exercise mitigates aging, as observed in endurance-trained middle-aged athletes (EMA). AIM: We compared and associated testosterone, interleukin 10 (IL-10), and body fat in EMA and untrained age-matched individuals (UAM). METHODS: Participants were EMA (n=25; 51.48±9.49 years) and UAM (n=23; 46.0±9.37 years). Both groups underwent body composition measurements (evaluated by a skinfold protocol) and blood sampling for IL-10 (assessed through ELISA® kit) and testosterone (assessed with Roche Diagnostics® kit, Mannheim, Germany, by chemiluminescence technique in a third-party laboratory). RESULTS: EMA had lower body fat (14.15±3.82% vs. 23.42±4.95%; P<0.05), higher testosterone (751.68±191.45 ng/dL vs. 493.04±175.15 ng/dL; P<0.05), and higher IL-10 (8.00±1.21 pg/mL vs. 5.89±1.16 pg/mL; P<0.05) compared to UAM. A significant linear correlation was found between testosterone and IL-10 (r=0.56; P=0.001), whereas significant inverse correlations were observed between body fat and testosterone (r=-0.52; P=0.001) and body fat and IL-10 (r=-0.69; P=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: EMA had higher levels of IL-10 and testosterone and lower body fat in comparison with UAM. In addition, higher IL-10 was associated with increased levels of circulating testosterone and lower body fat. RELEVANCE FOR PATIENTS: The adoption of endurance training as part of a healthy lifestyle may contribute to decreasing age-related testosterone reduction, besides reducing markers of inflammaging, preventing the occurrence of chronic age-related diseases, and thus contributing to healthy aging. For people who already have chronic diseases, physical exercise can shift the immune system toward a more anti-inflammatory profile and, thus, improve their pathological condition. In both cases, physical exercise can help attenuate the decline in testosterone, decrease body fat, and increase anti-inflammatory levels.

Relationship between inflammatory biomarkers and testosterone levels in male master athletes and non-athletes.

BACKGROUND: Aging is often associated with low-grade systemic inflammation and reduced anabolic hormone levels. To investigate whether lifelong exercise training can decrease the age-related low-grade inflammation and anabolic hormone levels, we examined hormonal and inflammatory parameters among highly-trained male masters athletes and age-matched non-athletes. METHODS: From 70 elite power and endurance master athletes - EMA (51.3 ± 8.0 yr), 32 young controls - YC (23.7 ± 3.9 yr) and 24 untrained age-matched controls - MAC (47.2 ± 8.0 yr) venous blood was drawn to measure inflammatory parameters (interleukin-6 [IL-6], tumor necrosis factor-α [TNF-α] and interleukin-10 [IL-10]) and circulating hormones (luteinizing hormone [LH], total testosterone, estradiol, sex hormone-binding globulin [SHBG] and free androgen index [FAI]). RESULTS: EMA showed a better anti-inflammatory status than MAC (higher IL-10 and IL-10/IL-6 ratio and lower IL-6), but a lower anti-inflammatory status than YC (higher TNF-α) (p < 0.05). The MAC group had lower testosterone levels compared to the YC and EMA group (p < 0.05), and lower estradiol levels and testosterone/LH ratio compared to YC (p < 0.05). In the control groups (MAC and YC), testosterone correlated negatively with age and proinflammatory parameters, and positively with anti-inflammatory parameters. CONCLUSION: Elite master athletics elevated levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines above that seen in non-athlete peers and mitigated the age-related reduction in testosterone levels.

Age-related Decline in Renal Function is Attenuated in Master Athletes.

This study analyzed the kidney function and biomarkers of health in lifelong-trained sprinters and endurance runners, and compared them to untrained aged-matched and young controls. Sixty-two men (21-66 yr.) were recruited and allocated as master athletes from sprints (n=25), master athletes from endurance events (n=8), untrained middle-aged (n=14) and young controls (n=15). Participants underwent anamnesis, anthropometric measures and blood sampling for biochemical analyses of klotho, FGF23 and estimated glomerular filtration rate. Master sprinters presented better kidney function in relation to endurance athletes and their untrained peers (P<0.0001). A number of biochemical variables were observed that negatively (i. e., GDF-15, TGF-Beta, IL-18) or positively (i. e., klotho/FGF23 ratio and sestrin-2) correlated with eGFR. Sestrin-2 presented the strongest association with eGFR (r=0.5, P=0.03). Results also revealed that lifelong-trained individuals presented the highest probability of having better values for cystatin C and thus an estimated glomerular filtration rate that was 37-49% higher than untrained peers. Master sprinters presented better kidney function in relation to endurance athletes and middle-aged untrained peers. Sestrin-2 may play a role in exercise-induced kidney function protection.

Cut-Off Values in the Prediction of Success in Olympic Distance Triathlon.

Cut-off points and performance-related tools are needed for the development of the Olympic distance triathlon. The purposes of the present study were (i) to determine cut-off values to reach the top three positions in an Olympic distance triathlon; (ii) to identify which discipline present the highest influence on overall race performance and if it has changed over the decades. Data from 1989 to 2019 (n = 52,027) from all who have competed in an official Olympic distance triathlon events (World Triathlon Series and Olympics) were included. The cut-off value to achieve a top three position was calculated. Linear regressions were applied for performance trends overall and for the top three positions of each race. Men had cut-off values of: swimming = 19.5 min; cycling = 60.7 min; running = 34.1 min. Women's cut-off values were: swimming = 20.7 min; cycling = 71.6 min; running = 38.1 min. The running split seemed to be the most influential in overall race time regardless of rank position or sex. In conclusion, cut-offs were established, which can increase the chances of achieving a successful rank position in an Olympic triathlon. Cycling is the discipline with the least influence on overall performance for both men and women in the Olympic distance triathlon. This influence pattern has not changed in the last three decades.

Faster and Healthier: Relationship between Telomere and Performance in Master Athletes.

Aging is associated with increased oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, and decreased telomere length (TL). However, the lifestyle of master athletes can lead to a reduced risk of these conditions, and thus attenuates aging and performance deterioration. We aimed to analyze the relationships between TL and relative performance (RP), and their relation to adiposity, oxidative stress, and inflammation in endurance (END) and sprint/power (SPW) master athletes (MAs). Twenty-two world-class MAs visited the laboratory for anamnesis, anthropometrics, and blood sampling. Inflammatory and oxidative stress parameters were assessed using commercial kits. Relative TL was determined in leukocytes through qPCR analyses. A positive association was observed between RP and TL in both groups (SPW: r=0.641; END: r=0.685) and the whole sample (r=0.594). The IL6/IL10 ratio presented an inverse correlation with RP in the whole sample (r=-0.580). Body mass index also demonstrated a negative correlation with TL for the END group (r=-0.690) and the whole sample analysis (r=-0.455). Moreover, the IL6/IL10 ratio was negatively associated with strength/power training hours (r=-0.464), whereas the CAT/TBARS ratio was negatively associated with aerobic training hours (r=-0.482). In conclusion, TL of MAs was associated with RP regardless of the training model (endurance or sprint/power), and inflammation and adiposity were associated with shorter telomeres.

Oxidative stress, inflammatory cytokines and body composition of master athletes: The interplay.

Unhealthy aging is associated with increased adiposity, inflammation and oxidative stress (OS), but the interactions between them have been poorly investigated in people growing old under vigorous lifelong exercise regimens. Therefore, we compared and analyzed the relationships between markers of inflammation, OS and adiposity in master athletes (MA), young (YC) and middle-aged controls (MC). Fifty-nine participants (MA, n = 30, 51.56 ± 8.61 yrs, minimum of 20 yrs of training; YC, n = 17, 22.70 ± 3.92 yrs; MC, n = 12, 45.54 ± 9.86 yrs) underwent body composition measurements, blood sampling for inflammation and OS measurements, and provided information regarding general health and training status. The MA and YC demonstrated higher catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and higher CAT/TBARS (TBARS: thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) and SOD/TBARS ratios. The cytokines TNF-α and IL-6, and their soluble receptors sTNF-RI and sIL-6R were lower in YC compared to MC and MA (p < 0.05). Moreover, MA showed lower levels of sTNF-RI, IL-6 and sIL-6R and higher IL-10 and IL-10/IL-6 ratio compared to MC (p < 0.05). The body fat was negatively associated with antioxidant enzymes (CAT: r = -0.448 and SOD: r = -0.413) and IL-10 (r = -0.585) and positively correlated with pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α: r = 0.278; sTNF-RI: r = 0.709; IL-6: r = 0.720: sIL-6R: r = 0.430) (p < 0.05). Further, CAT and SOD activities were inversely associated with inflammatory parameters (sTNF-RI, IL-6 and sIL-6R; p < 0.05). In conclusion, markers of OS and inflammation did not differ between MA and YC and were associated with adiposity. Moreover, MA were leaner than MC, similarly to YC. Thus, lifelong training clearly attenuates inflammation, OS, and adiposity, supporting an attenuated and healthy aging.

Celebrating 40 Years of Ironman: How the Champions Perform.

We aimed to determine which discipline had the greater performance improvements in the history of Ironman triathlon in Hawaii and also which discipline had the greater influence in overall race time. Data from 1983 to 2018 of the top three women and men of each year who competed in the Ironman World Championship were included. In addition to exploratory data analyses, linear regressions between split times and years of achievement were performed. Further, a stepwise multiple linear regression was applied using total race time as the dependent variable and split times as the independent variables. Both women and men significantly improved their performances from 1983 to 2018 in the Ironman World Championship. Swimming had the largest difference in improvements between men and women (3.0% versus 12.1%, respectively). A negative and significant decrease in each discipline was identified for both women and men, with cycling being the discipline with the greatest reduction. The results from the stepwise multiple regression indicated that cycling was the discipline with the highest influence on overall race time for both sexes. Based on the findings of this study, cycling seems to be the Ironman triathlon discipline that most improved overall race times and is also the discipline with the greatest influence on the overall race time of elite men and women in the Ironman World Championship.

Cycling as the Best Sub-8-Hour Performance Predictor in Full Distance Triathlon.

For any triathlon distance (short, Olympic, half-distance and full-distance), competitors spend more time cycling than swimming or running, but running has emerged as the discipline with the greatest influence on overall performance at the Olympic distance. However, there is a lack of evidence on which discipline has the greatest influence on performance in the overall full-distance triathlon (3.8 km swimming/180 km cycling/42.195 km running), especially for the fastest performing athletes of all time. The total race times of 51 fastest triathletes (sub-8-hour) were studied, while for the split times, a sample of 44 participants was considered. The discipline that seemed to better predict total race time was cycling (coefficient = 0.828; p < 0.001), followed by running (coefficient = 0.726; p < 0.001) and swimming (coefficient = 0.476; p < 0.001). Furthermore, cycling was the discipline with the highest performance improvement over the years, whereas running had a slightly decrease. In conclusion, cycling seems to be the discipline with greater influence in final result for the full-distance triathlon.

Vertical Jump Is Strongly Associated to Running-Based Anaerobic Sprint Test in Teenage Futsal Male Athletes.

As one of the most popular sport modalities in Brazil, and with an exponential growth in Europe, futsal is characterized by intermittent stimulus of anaerobic high intensity sprints. The running-based anaerobic sprint test (RAST) is one of the most common tests to assess anaerobic power in futsal athletes, however, it presents both time and physical challenges. Therefore, we aimed to correlate RAST with a simpler test, the vertical jump (VJ), in teenage male futsal athletes; Methods: Thirteen volunteers were enrolled and underwent two visits to the laboratory, one for the VJ and the other for the RAST in a randomized order; Results: The association test indicates a strong and significant correlation between VJ and RAST. We conclude that VJ can be used as an alternative to RAST in teenage male futsal athletes.