Effects of exhaustive high-intensity intermittent exercise on serum parathyroid hormone

Increased serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) during moderate-intensity exercise has been reported, suggesting that such exercise may stimulate bone resorption. This study was undertaken to observe the effects of exhausting high-intensity intermittent exercise (HIIE) on serum PTH and on blood parameters that may affect PTH secretion during exercise. Seven young trained adults exercised on 2 days after overnight fasting. On the HIIE day, they performed 6–7 exhausting bouts of 20-sec bicycle exercise (intensity, 170% V・O2max) with intervening 10sec rests. On the moderate-intensity exercise (MIE) day, the subjects biked for 60 min at 70% V・O2max. The peak lactate concentration in blood after the HIIE was 15.2 ± 1.3 mmol/l. The blood lactate concentration at the end of the MIE was 2.2 ± 0.9 mmol/l. The HIIE significantly reduced the serum PTH (Pre: 30 ± 5 pg/ml, 10 min post-HIIE: 22 ± 4 pg/ml, p < 0.05), whereas the MIE significantly elevated the serum PTH. The HIIE induced a significant increase in serum ionized Ca (iCa); but MIE did not affect iCa. The serum cortisol concentration post-MIE was significantly higher than that observed pre-exercise; no changes from the pre-exercise value were noted post-HIIE. The serum phosphate concentration immediately post-HIIE increased significantly to the same level as that post-MIE. No changes in serum C-terminal telopeptide of Type I collagen (a marker of bone resorption) was observed after the HIIE or MIE. Although these results do not identify stimulator(s) for PTH secretion during HIIE and MIE, they indicate that HIIE does not induce an exercise-induced increase in PTH (which might deteriorate bone metabolism).