European Journal of Applied Physiology最新文献

{"title":"Blood lactate accumulation during maximal cycling sprints and its relationship to sprint performance characteristics.","authors":"Ralf Haase, Anna Katharina Dunst, Nico Nitzsche","doi":"10.1007/s00421-025-05755-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-025-05755-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Blood lactate accumulation (ΔBLC) during maximal short-term exercise is a crucial indicator of peak glycolytic activation in anaerobic performance assessment. However, the relationship between ΔBLC and sprint performance remains inconsistent, potentially due to variations in testing protocols and the use of absolute rather than relative performance metrics. This study investigated the relationship between ΔBLC and cycling sprint performance, hypothesizing normalization to body weight is essential for accurate metabolic performance evaluation.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Twenty-two trained male athletes performed a 10-s maximal isokinetic cycling sprint on an ergometer. Power output and cadence were continuously recorded to calculate peak power (P_peak), time to peak power (t_Ppeak), mean power (P_mean), and power increase during the lactic phase (maxΔP, ΔP). Capillary blood samples were collected pre-exercise and up to 12 min post-exercise to determine pre-exercise (BLC_pre) and maximal post-exercise blood lactate concentration (BLC_max). ΔBLC was calculated as BLC_max-BLC_pre. Statistical analysis included Pearson correlations and stepwise multiple regression.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>ΔBLC exhibited significant correlations with body-weight-normalized maxΔP (r = 0.78, p < 0.001), P_mean (r = 0.70, p < 0.001), and P_peak (r = 0.65, p < 0.01). In contrast, no significant correlations were observed with absolute metrics (p > 0.05). Stepwise regression analysis identified adjusted maxΔP and P_mean as the strongest predictors of ΔBLC (adjusted R² = 0.648, p < 0.001).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Relative, body-weight-adjusted metrics, particularly maxΔP and P_mean, are strongly associated with ΔBLC. The use of these relative metrics may enhance the precision of anaerobic performance assessment, facilitate more effective training monitoring, and improve talent identification processes in sports requiring high-intensity efforts.</p>","PeriodicalId":12005,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Applied Physiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143669356","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating the impact of coenzyme Q10 and high-intensity interval training on lactate threshold and Plasma blood gases in rats: a randomized controlled trial.","authors":"Yavuz Yasul, Büşra Yılmaz, Ömer Şenel, Dursun Kurt, Taner Akbulut, Ayşen Çalıkuşu, Elvan Anadol, Canan Yılmaz","doi":"10.1007/s00421-025-05756-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-025-05756-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Coenzyme Q₁₀ (Q₁₀) is a mitochondrial coenzyme that facilitates ATP production via oxidative phosphorylation. This study hypothesized that Q₁₀ enhances mitochondrial efficiency and lactate threshold, while high-intensity interval training (HIIT) promotes metabolic adaptations, improving glucose utilization and buffering capacity for faster recovery after high-intensity exercise.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A randomized controlled trial was conducted using 24 male Sprague-Dawley rats (250.4 ± 6.1 g, 8 weeks old). The rats were allocated into four groups: control (C), coenzyme Q₁₀ (CoQ₁₀), HIIT, and HIIT + Q₁₀. The Q₁₀ administration involved a dosage of 10 mg/kg/day, given 30 min prior to the HIIT protocol. Lactate threshold, blood gas parameters, oximetry values, metabolite levels, and electrolyte status were analyzed utilizing the Radiometer 900 device. The blood samples were collected at the fifth and tenth minutes following the HIIT training trials.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The HIIT + Q₁₀ group exhibited a significant reduction in lactate threshold (p < 0.01), maintaining values below average. Significant improvements in blood gas parameters, including pH, pO2, and pCO2, were observed in this group. Enhanced oxygen transport capacity was indicated by improved oximetry parameters (Hb, HCT, sO₂) and reduced COHb levels. Additionally, positive changes in HCO₃- and base values indicated reduced metabolic stress. Q₁₀ supplementation also stabilized electrolytes, particularly K⁺ and Na⁺.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The Q₁₀ supplementation supported metabolic balance, improved oxygen transport, and stabilized acid-base levels during HIIT. It reduced lactate accumulation, enhanced glucose availability, and alleviated metabolic stress, thereby improving recovery efficiency and physiological adaptation.</p>","PeriodicalId":12005,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Applied Physiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143656718","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The accuracy of fixed intensity anchors to estimate lactate thresholds in recreational runners.","authors":"Olli-Pekka Nuuttila, Piia Kaikkonen, Harri Sievänen, Tommi Vasankari, Heikki Kyröläinen","doi":"10.1007/s00421-025-05748-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-025-05748-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Endurance exercise intensities can be categorized into moderate, heavy, and severe domains based on physiological responses during incremental exercise testing. Since the evaluation of metabolic thresholds is not always possible, this study assessed the accuracy of fixed intensity anchors to estimate lactate thresholds.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>165 (64 females, 101 males) recreational runners performed a maximal incremental treadmill test. The first (LT1) and second (LT2) lactate thresholds were determined as percentages of maximum heart rate (HR), oxygen consumption (VO₂), and running speed, alongside the rating of perceived exertion (RPE). Sex-specific mean values were used to determine the threshold intensities and to analyze the error magnitude for each method.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Females had a higher relative HR, VO₂, and speed at LT1 compared to males (p < 0.001). In the pooled data, the mean absolute error for estimating LT1 varied from 0.6 to 0.8 km/h for speed and 4.9-7.4 bpm for HR, while LT2 errors ranged from 0.4 to 0.8 km/h and 2.8-5.2 bpm, respectively. The speed-derived estimations yielded the smallest error magnitudes, while the RPE-derived estimations were the least accurate. Estimating the maximum speed increased the respective errors to 1.0 km/h and 8.4 bpm for LT1, and to 1.1 km/h and 6.7 bpm for LT2.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>LT1 occurred at higher relative intensity in females, suggesting a need for sex-specific intensity anchors. The speed-derived estimates were the most accurate, but the estimation of maximum values impaired the prediction accuracy. Thus, the optimal method also depends on the availability of the maximum values.</p>","PeriodicalId":12005,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Applied Physiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143633973","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Lactic acidosis: implications for human exercise performance.","authors":"Simeon P Cairns, Michael I Lindinger","doi":"10.1007/s00421-025-05750-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-025-05750-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>During high-intensity exercise a lactic-acidosis occurs with raised myoplasmic and plasma concentrations of lactate^- and protons ([lactate^-], [H⁺] or pH). We critically evaluate whether this causes/contributes to fatigue during human exercise. Increases of [lactate^-] per se (to 25 mM in plasma, 50 mM intracellularly) exert little detrimental effect on muscle performance while ingestion/infusion of lactate^- can be ergogenic. An exercise-induced intracellular acidosis at the whole-muscle level (pH_i falls from 7.1-7.0 to 6.9-6.3), incorporates small changes in slow-twitch fibres (pH_i ~ 6.9) and large changes in fast-twitch fibres (pH_i ~ 6.2). The relationship between peak force/power and acidosis during fatiguing contractions varies across exercise regimes implying that acidosis is not the sole cause of fatigue. Concomitant changes of other putative fatigue factors include phosphate metabolites, glycogen, ions and reactive oxygen species. Acidosis to pH_i 6.7-6.6 at physiological temperatures (during recovery from exercise or induced in non-fatigued muscle), has minimal effect on force/power. Acidosis to pH_i ~ 6.5-6.2 per se reduces maximum force (~12%), slows shortening velocity (~5%), and lowers peak power (~22%) in non-fatigued muscles/individuals. A pre-exercise induced-acidosis with ammonium chloride impairs exercise performance in humans and accelerates the decline of force/power (15-40% initial) in animal muscles stimulated repeatedly in situ. Raised [H⁺]_i and diprotonated inorganic phosphate ([H₂PO₄^-]_i) act on myofilament proteins to reduce maximum cross-bridge activity, Ca²⁺-sensitivity, and myosin ATPase activity. Acidosis/[lactate^-]_o attenuates detrimental effects of large K⁺-disturbances on action potentials and force in non-fatigued muscle. We propose that depressive effects of acidosis and [H₂PO₄^-]_i on myofilament function dominate over the protective effects of acidosis/lactate^- on action potentials during fatigue. Raised extracellular [H⁺]/[lactate^-] do not usually cause central fatigue but do contribute to elevated perceived exertion and fatigue sensations by activating group III/IV muscle afferents. Modulation of H⁺/lactate^- regulation (via extracellular H⁺-buffers, monocarboxylate transporters, carbonic anhydrase, carnosine) supports a role for intracellular acidosis in fatigue. In conclusion, current evidence advocates that severe acidosis in fast-twitch fibres can contribute to force/power fatigue during intense human exercise.</p>","PeriodicalId":12005,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Applied Physiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143633972","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Eccentric training effects on hamstring muscles in oral contraceptive users and naturally menstruating women.","authors":"Olivier Seynnes, Antoine Nordez, Lilian Lacourpaille, Eirik Hesseberg, Ingvild Vesterhus, Ken Fjeldberg, Martin Kvalvik Engstad, Mette Hansen, Gøran Paulsen","doi":"10.1007/s00421-025-05753-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-025-05753-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>This study evaluated the effects of eccentric resistance training on hamstring muscles properties in women using oral contraceptives (OC) and naturally menstruating women.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Before and after the training intervention, we measured maximal isometric and eccentric moment of the knee flexor muscles, thickness and shear wave velocity (SWV) of the biceps femoris long head (BFlh), semitendinosus (ST) and semimembranosus (SM) muscles, and BFlh fascicle length using ultrasonography and dynamometry.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The 12-week training intervention resulted in a modest but statistically significant increase in resting BFlh fascicle length (~2% on average, p = 0.005) across both groups, with no observed effect of OC use on any variable. The muscle strength and thickness increased comparably in both groups, with an average increase of ~20% in isometric knee flexor moment and 14% in eccentric knee flexor moment (p < 0.001 for both tests). ST muscle thickness increased by ~4% on average (p = 0.016), while no main effect of training was observed for SM and BFlh thickness. The shear modulus of the SM muscle decreased by 9% (p = 0.021) for the combined groups. However, it remained unchanged in the BFlh and ST muscles, and OC use did not influence these measurements either.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These findings suggest that eccentric training induces similar adaptations in women regardless of OC use. Furthermore, fascicle lengthening was not attributable to changes in muscle shear modulus under the present conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":12005,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Applied Physiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143633971","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The acute impact of resistance exercise training on cardiovascular parameters in trained and untrained adults with high blood pressure.","authors":"Nile F Banks, Emily M Rogers, Anna E Stanhewicz, Kara M Whitaker, Nathaniel D M Jenkins","doi":"10.1007/s00421-025-05754-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-025-05754-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Individuals with elevated blood pressure or stage 1 hypertension (ES1H) are recommended to engage in lifestyle modifications, including resistance exercise training (RT), to reduce blood pressure. Twenty-five adults (age = 51.4 ± 5.2 y; 15F/10 M) with ES1H who had either recently completed 9 weeks of 3 days/week RT intervention (TR; n = 12) or a non-exercise control period (UT; n = 13) completed the study. All participants had their peripheral and central systolic (SBP and cSBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP and cDBP), flow-mediated dilation (FMD), carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, c-reactive protein (CRP), cardiovagal baroreflex sensitivity (BRS), resting cardiac output, resting total peripheral resistance, and heart rate variability measures including low-frequency power, high-frequency power, and root mean square of the successive differences (lnRMSSD) collected before (T1), 20-24 h after (T2), and 72-h (T3) after a single RT session. Compared to UT, TR experienced reductions in FMD from T1 to T2 (mean change: - 2.51 ± 0.55%; p = 0.012) but were protected against reductions in BRS, which was significantly lower in UT at T2 (- 1.76 ± 1.47 ms/mmHg; p = 0.019). CRP was significantly elevated in both groups at T2 compared to T1 (+ 0.61 ± 0.29 mg/L; p = 0.037), whereas DBP (+ 3.19 ± 1.6 mmHg; p = 0.003) and lnRMSSD (- 0.29 ± 0.07 ms; p = 0.015) were significantly different at T3 compared to T1. There were no other significant effects observed. Trained individuals may experience impairments in endothelial function but be protected from impairments in cardiovagal BRS during the 24 h following a resistance exercise session performed in accordance with exercise guidelines for individuals with ES1H.</p>","PeriodicalId":12005,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Applied Physiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143633974","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cardiovascular and cerebral hemodynamics during static and dynamic breath-holding.","authors":"Jérémie Allinger, Guillaume Costalat, Catherine Chiron, Marion Nouhliane, Gaelle Mediouni, Emilie Carré, Frédéric Lemaître","doi":"10.1007/s00421-025-05742-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-025-05742-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>The study investigated the changes in cardiovascular and cerebral hemodynamics elicited by the diving response during static (S_BH) and dynamic (DYN_BH) breath-holding (BH) in moderately trained recreational breath-hold divers (BHDs).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Nineteen BHDs (42.9 ± 7.8 years, 5.7 ± 2.5 years of breath-hold practice) participated in the study. Cardiovascular and cerebral hemodynamics, along with muscle and pre-frontal cortex oxygenation, were continuously tracked throughout a single S_BH and DYN_BH by means of arterial volume clamp, transcranial Doppler ultrasound, and near-infrared spectroscopy. In addition, neuron-specific enolase (NSE) was measured pre- and post-BH to evaluate potential neuronal stress.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>At the end of BH, the manifestations of the diving response were similar in both conditions, characterized by a bradycardic response (S_BH: - 14 ± 6%, p < 0.05; DYN_BH: - 13 ± 18%, p < 0.05) and an increase in total peripheral resistance (S_BH: + 127 ± 46%, p < 0.05; DYN_BH: + 116 ± 110%, p < 0.05). Mean middle cerebral artery blood velocity increased significantly more during S_BH (+ 139 ± 17%, p < 0.05) than DYN_BH (+ 109 ± 23%, p < 0.05). Relative changes in pre-frontal cortex deoxygenated hemoglobin were higher during DYN_BH compared to S_BH (+ 350 ± 106% vs. + 128 ± 27%, p < 0.05). NSE levels did not change pre- and post- S_BH and DYN_BH.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Due to relatively attenuated increase in cerebral blood velocity, DYN_BH resulted in a greater imbalance between oxygen supply and pre-frontal oxygen consumption than S_BH. However, NSE levels remained unchanged from baseline values, suggesting that no acute neuronal damage occurred in either condition.</p>","PeriodicalId":12005,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Applied Physiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143604308","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of exergaming versus endurance training on cardiorespiratory fitness and hemodynamic parameters: a randomized controlled trial.","authors":"Sascha Ketelhut, Valentin Benzing, Cäcilia Zehnder, Lauren Amor, Yannik Schürch, Manuel Burger, Stefan Schmid, Claudio R Nigg","doi":"10.1007/s00421-025-05743-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-025-05743-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>The study determined whether an exergame training (EXT) resulted in greater improvements in health-related outcomes compared to traditional moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In total, 47 individuals (age 30±11 years) were randomized into an EXT (n = 24) and an MICT group (n = 23). Throughout the eight-week intervention period, the EXT group attended 20-30 min of EXT three times a week while the MICT group completed 20-45 min of MICT three times a week. Before and after the intervention, BMI, waist-to-height ratio, body fat (BF), resting heart rate (HR), root mean square of successive differences between normal heartbeats (RMSSD), standard deviation of all normal-to-normal intervals (SDNN), average time interval between consecutive R-waves (MeanRR), high-frequency power, low-frequency power, ratio of LF to HF power, enjoyment, systolic (SBP) as well as diastolic blood pressure, and peak oxygen consumption (VO₂peak) were compared using linear mixed models.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The analyses revealed main effects of time for BF, HR, RMSSD, SDNN, MeanRR, high-frequency power, and SBP (ps<.05). A main effect of group was found for enjoyment (p<.05) with higher values in the EXT group. Group-by-time interactions (ps<.05) were observed for HR, SBP, and VO₂peak, indicating differential changes over time between groups. The EXT showed a steeper decline in HR and SBP compared to MICT, while demonstrating a greater increase in VO₂peak.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The EXT was more effective than the MICT in improving VO₂peak, HR, and SBP. The EXT seems to represent a more effective and more attractive alternative to MICT for health promotion.</p><p><strong>Trial registration number: </strong>NCT05894031.</p>","PeriodicalId":12005,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Applied Physiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143604360","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hormonal and metabolic responses across phases of combined oral contraceptive use and menstrual cycle in young elite female athletes.","authors":"Katia Collomp, Agnès Olivier, Caroline Teulier, Juliette Bonnigal, Nathalie Crépin, Corinne Buisson, Magnus Ericsson, Emmanuelle Duron, Eric Favory, Mathieu Zimmermann, Virgile Amiot, Carole Castanier","doi":"10.1007/s00421-025-05745-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-025-05745-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Despite the significant number of female athletes using combined oral contraceptives (COCs), there is scant literature on their hormonal and metabolic effects across different phases.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In order to contribute to a wider knowledge of COC-action mechanisms involved in athletes' performance and health, we therefore examined the effects of low-dose monophasic COC (ethinylestradiol/levonorgestrel) intake on sex hormones (estradiol, progesterone, sex hormone binding protein (SHBG)) as well as on a large number of pituitary (LH, TSH, prolactin) and peripheral (triiodothyronine, cortisol, DHEA, DHEA-S, aldosterone, osteocalcin, 25(OH)D) basal hormone levels in nine young elite female athletes, across COC administration (first and second half of active hormone intake, washout phases), compared to eleven female athletes without hormonal contraception across their normal menstrual cycle (NMC, i.e., early follicular, end follicular/peri-ovulatory, mid-luteal phases).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>COC vs. NMC increased SHBG (p < 0.01), TSH, cortisol and 25(OH)D (p < 0.05), and decreased DHEA and DHEA-S (p < 0.05) concentrations. Across COC and NMC phases, higher estradiol and aldosterone concentrations (p < 0.05) were observed during the washout and mid-luteal phases, respectively.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>In highly trained female athletes, COC vs. NMC induced several hormonal alterations, irrespective of the phases, leading to potential ergogenic and clinical repercussions that merit clarification. In NMC athletes, the impact of endogenous sex hormone fluctuations on the parameters studied appeared limited, perhaps mitigated by intense physical training, with only aldosterone change. Given the high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency, it seems warranted to monitor this parameter, not yet routinely considered in female athletes, taking into account COC intake.</p><p><strong>Trial registration: </strong>ID-RCB:2020-A02965-34, France.</p>","PeriodicalId":12005,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Applied Physiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143585305","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effects of chronic stretch training on musculoskeletal pain.","authors":"Andreas Konrad, Masatoshi Nakamura, Mahta Sardroodian, Nazanin Aboozari, Saman Hadjizadeh Anvar, David G Behm","doi":"10.1007/s00421-025-05747-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-025-05747-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>One of the primary mechanisms for the increase in range of motion following stretching is an increase in pain/stretch tolerance. However, it remains unclear whether stretching can reduce pain in patients suffering from musculoskeletal pain. Therefore, the purpose of this systematic review was to investigate whether chronic stretch training can decrease pain in patients suffering from musculoskeletal pain.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In our search, we included three databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) and after removing duplicates, screened 797 papers. Six papers were found to be eligible for this review. The inclusion criteria were controlled or randomized controlled trials that involved any type of chronic stretch training with participants experiencing musculoskeletal pain and where at least one pain output parameter was reported (e.g. visual analogue scale).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of the six studies reviewed, four focused on the effects of stretching interventions on pain in patients, while the other two examined pain prevalence during the stretching period. The interventions lasted between 4 weeks and 6 months and involved either static or dynamic stretching techniques with in total 658 participants. Five of the six studies reported a significant decrease in pain scores or a reduction in the prevalence or severity of pain following the observation period.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The findings indicate that stretching can alleviate pain by enhancing range of motion and reducing muscle stiffness, which may ease nerve pressure and lower muscle spindle activity. Although results were somewhat mixed, the evidence overall supports stretching as an effective intervention for relieving musculoskeletal pain.</p>","PeriodicalId":12005,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Applied Physiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143583725","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}