Salivary markers of stress and physical activities: a systematic review

Abstract

In recent years, stress levels during exercise are measured using different salivary markers. The aim of the study was to conduct a systematic review of the main salivary stress markers related to physical exercise and their effects on health of MEDLINE, LILACS, IBECS, BVS and SciELO databases between 2011 and 2018. The descriptors used in the search were “Biochemical” and “Marker”; “Stress” and “Physical” and “Exercise”; “Salivary chromogranin-A”; “Salivary Alpha-Amylase”; “Salivary IgA”; and “Salivary cortisol”, in three languages. After assessment of eligibility criteria, of the 13,405 studies identified, 12 were included in the final review and, although saliva has clear advantages over blood by easy to collect and non-invasive, the use of these markers in the response to stress remains incomplete due to the different effects observed, considering that the information available in the literature involves different types of participants as study subjects and a range of protocols.