Serum cortisol concentration and testosterone to cortisol ratio in elite prepubescent male gymnasts during training

Rich, Peter; Villani, Rudolph Gino; Fulton, A.; Ashton, J; Bass, Shona; Brinkert, Ronald H.; Brown, P. S.

doi:10.1007/bf00243504

Cited by 11 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Although data on hormonal responses to exercise in prepubertal children are limited, the results of the present study are consistent with those of Rich et al (1992b), who examined the acute serum cortisol response for 5 consecutive training days in eight trained male gymnasts and eleven untrained similarly aged controls (mean age 11.1 years). In the latter study, no signi®cant dierences were observed between gymnasts and controls immediately prior to or 30 min after gymnastics training at any time throughout the experimental period (Mon±Fri).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…While few studies have examined the T:C ratio in response to training in children and adolescents, no signi®cant dierences were found in the present study between the highly active male gymnasts and normoactive controls over three dierent phases of gymnastics training, although the T:C ratio decreased from PC to SC training in the gymnasts. Rich et al (1992b) found that the T:C ratio decreased in prepubertal male gymnasts compared with controls from the 1st (Monday) to the 3rd (Wednesday) day of gymnastics training, after which the ratio increased following a day's rest (Friday). However, since large day-to-day¯uctuations were observed within the control group, the authors were unable to establish a direct link between training and a reduction in the T:C ratio.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

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Hormonal responses to physical training in high-level peripubertal male gymnasts

Daly

Rich

Klein

1998

European Journal of Applied Physiology

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The effects of performing intensive training during growth remains controversial, with claims of negative effects upon growth and maturation purportedly due at least in part to a combination of hormonal disturbances and inappropriate nutrition. We examined the training-related responses of total testosterone (T), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), cortisol (C) and diet in 16 peripubertal (pubertal stage <2) male gymnasts [mean (SD) age 10.5 (0.9) years, training 17.2 (5.6) h x week(-1)] and 17 controls [mean (SD) age 9.6 (1.2) years] over a 10-month period. Fasted, resting morning blood samples (0730-0900 hours) were taken from all children on Monday, Wednesday and Friday during a single week towards the end of each of three phases of gymnastics training: routine development (RD), precompetition (PC) and strength conditioning (SC). Serum concentrations of T, C and IGF-1 did not differ between the groups at any time. The ratio between IGF-1 and cortisol was significantly reduced in gymnasts relative to controls during RD and SC training (P<0.05), although no differences were detected for the T:C ratio. Diet did not correlate with any of the hormonal measurements, and no intergroup differences were found for the rate of growth in height. In summary, these results suggest that either the gymnastics training performed by these subjects was not intense enough to alter adrenal function, or that the gymnasts were well adapted to the training. In contrast, the reduction in the anabolic to catabolic balance represented by the IGF-1:C ratio is suggestive of a catabolic state, perhaps resulting from overstrain, insufficient recovery and/or inadequate caloric intake relative to energy output. While physical training during growth may induce a catabolic state, further research is needed to determine the biological significance of this finding, particularly with regard to growth and maturation.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Hormonal responses to physical training in high-level peripubertal male gymnasts

Daly

Rich

Klein

1998

European Journal of Applied Physiology

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“…Previous studies have demonstrated both an increase in testosterone levels as a response to short-term training (4,11,20,29) and a decrease in testosterone levels as a result of both shortterm (23) and long-term training (10,18). The cases where testosterone levels decreased after training involved prolonged endurance-type exercise (i.e., swimming), except in the study of Rich et al (23), who found a decrease in testosterone after 3 days of gymnastics training. In that study, there was, however, an observed return toward preexercise levels after only 1 day of rest, suggesting that the observed changes may have only been transient.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Carli et al (5) found results that were in agreement with this: after 43 wk of swim training, pubertal athletes had testosterone levels that dropped below pretraining levels. Rich et al (23) also found evidence of lowered testosterone with training after only 3 days of training in young gymnasts. Although they did not examine hormonal factors, Keller and Frohner (13) found that male gymnasts undertaking intensive training had reduced height and skeletal maturity relative to chronological age.…”

mentioning

confidence: 91%

Physical and pubertal development in young male gymnasts

Gurd

Klentrou²

2003

Journal of Applied Physiology

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The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of intense training on physical growth and sexual maturation in young male gymnasts. Physical development, pubertal development, testosterone levels, energy expenditure, and relative body fat were examined in 21 circumpubertal male gymnasts (13.3 +/- 0.3 yr) and 24 age-matched controls (13.5 +/- 0.3 yr). Subjects completed a self-assessment of genital and pubic hair development with the use of the Tanner scale. All subjects were measured for height, weight, and salivary testosterone levels (T). The Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents was used to estimate weekly energy expenditure in metabolic equivalents. Percent body fat (%BF) was assessed by using bioelectrical impedance analysis. Developmental stages and T, as well as height and weight, were not different between groups. Energy expenditure was significantly higher (P

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“…There are few data however for athletes in the pre-pubertal period [9][10][11] , while the effects of different forms of exercise on sedentary pre-pubertal and pubertal individuals are conflicting. Specifically, T and .AI mean values have been reported to increase [9][10][11] , remain stable [12][13][14] or decrease 15 , following acute intense exercise or two-month to one-year training.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of exercise on growth hormone and testosterone in prepubertal and early-pubertal boys

Tsolakis¹,

Xekouki²,

Kaloupsis³

et al. 2003

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The purpose of this study was two fold a) to determine the levels of hormonal parameters which are related to growth and sexual maturation (T, SHBG, .AI, GH) in 66 pre-pubertal and early-pubertal boys (11-13 years old) who systematically engage in individual and team sports activities of endurance, strength, speed and skill, respectively, and b) to investigate the effect of two different forms of exercise namely aerobic (AG) and weight training (WG) on androgen levels in 19 sedentary pre-pubertal boys. The control groups (CG) consisted of boys of the same age who attended only the school physical education programmes. The individuals included in the study participated voluntarily after their parents had been informed and had given their written consent. Hormonal concentrations were determined using radioimmunoassay and immunoradiometric assays. No differences were observed among the various athletes groups as regards Tanner stages, height and weight. The mean T and .AI values of the control group did not differ from those of the corresponding athletes group. Significant differences were observed among the groups regarding BMI, % body fat, T, SHBG, .AI and GH (p<0.05). T and .AI values in the WG group were significantly higher than the corresponding concentrations: a) in the AG group by 338 and 609%, p<0.05 and b) in the control group CG by 91 and 96%, p<0.05, respectively. The hormonal differences detected among the various groups of athletes must be attributed as much to the type of physical exercise and to developmental factors as to the selection criteria used for the different athletic talents. The importance of the specificity of training stimulus in the hormonal adaptations of pre-pubertal sedentary subjects was demonstrated.

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Serum cortisol concentration and testosterone to cortisol ratio in elite prepubescent male gymnasts during training

Cited by 11 publications

References 5 publications

Hormonal responses to physical training in high-level peripubertal male gymnasts

Hormonal responses to physical training in high-level peripubertal male gymnasts

Physical and pubertal development in young male gymnasts

The influence of exercise on growth hormone and testosterone in prepubertal and early-pubertal boys

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