Hormonal status, creatine kinase and soccer: a need for research

Abstract

Soccer is a physically demanding sport in which muscular damage and trauma are frequent occurrences (1,2). These occurrences are especially true for those athletes involved in top-division clubs at national or international levels. Many factors may come into play when determining the degree of muscular damage that may occur during a soccer match, such as intensity of physical participation, environmental conditions, skill level, prior level of rest, and aggressiveness of the teams involved in the match (2).It is well-established that a multitude of hormones influence the degree of protein turnover in the human body. These hormones are typically categorized as anabolic (promoting protein synthesis) or catabolic (promoting protein degradation) in terms of their influence on protein turnover. Cellular protein turnover status can influence the structural integrity of a muscle, and thus its potential for damage (i.e., less integrity → greater risk of damage) (3). The disposition of anabolic and catabolic hormones to influence protein turnover and, in turn, their influence on the structural status of skeletal muscles, led us to speculate as to whether the basal hormonal status of an athlete before a soccer match would be a factor that potentially affects their muscle response to damage. To address this assumption, we conducted a preliminary study to examine the relationship between basal levels of anabolic-catabolic hormones and muscle damage, assessed by creatine kinase response following a 90-minute soccer match. The study of muscular damage following sport activity is critical because of the influence such damage has on the adaptation and training responses of athletes and their ability to perform and compete in subsequent sport events (1,3).Twelve healthy male soccer players were recruited to participate in this study. All of them signed a written informed consent form before starting the study. These players were all experienced sportsmen and had participated in top-division soccer for a number of years (minimum 2 years as professionals). Their physical characteristics were as follows (mean ± SD): age = 26.3 ± 3.8 yrs., height = 177.8 ± 2.9 cm, and body mass = 75.5 ± 8.3 kg.Subjects rested and performed minimal physical activity in the 24 hours prior to the match. On the day of the match, basal, resting blood samples were collected from the subjects by venipuncture at 8 am in the morning, after a 12-hour fast. Collected blood samples were handled using standard clinical procedures to ensure they were viable for later hormonal-hematological analysis. The soccer match took place in the afternoon of the day of blood sampling, at around 5 pm. The average temperature during the match was 27 o C. All 12 subjects participated in the 90-minute match for equal amounts of time and were allowed to consume water ad libitum during the whole match. Immediately following the match, a post-match second blood sample

Fatigue and Recovery in Soccer: Evidence and Challenges

“…Post-match increases in plasma CK have been observed [158], and are smaller when pre-match levels are greater [175], but may go up to 84% (p=0.17) when pre-match levels are in the normal ranges [56]. The majority of studies showed high concentrations of plasma CK at 24 [9,53,176], 48 [2,50,54,55,177], and 72 hours post-match [52].…”

Biomarkers Correlate With Body Composition and Performance Changes Throughout the Season in Women's Division I Collegiate Soccer Players

“…The maintenance of anabolic markers over the course of the season, coincided with the preservation of both power and endurance as well increases in strength. Greater concentrations of anabolic hormones may help to promote protein synthesis and counteract muscle damage that may occur during soccer (Hackney and Machado, 2012).…”