The biochemistry of runners in a 1600 km ultramarathon.

Abstract

Objective-To investigate biochemical changes related to muscle breakdown, hepatic damage, hyponatraemia, and a number of other variables in the serum of participants in a 1600 km ultramarathon run. Methods-Blood samples were obtained from nine participants (seven men, two women) in a 1600 km foot race before, after 4 and 11 days of running, and at the conclusion of the event. Samples were analysed by standard methods and results corrected, where appropriate, for changes in plasma volume. Results-Significant (p<0.05) increases in the following variables were found during or at the conclusion of the event: plasma volume, sodium, chloride, urea, alkaline phosphatase, -glutamyltransferase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase, bilirubin, total protein, albumin, glucose, calcium, and phosphate. Significant (p<0.05) decreases in the following variables were found during or at the conclusion of the event: globulin, uric acid, and cholesterol. No change occurred in serum potassium, bicarbonate, creatinine, and triglycerides. Conclusion-A wide range of biochemical perturbations occur during ultramarathon running but a number of variables remain within normal limits despite severe physical stress. Large increases in plasma volume occur, and hyponatraemia is rare in events of this duration. The time course of increases in enzymic indicators of muscle damage indicates that duration of running is not the sole determinant of such increases. This study provides indirect evidence of possible hepatic damage during prolonged exercise and an increase in serum calcium both of which warrant further investigation. (Br J Sports Med 1999;33:264-269)

Acute hepatic response to diet modification and exercise-induced endotoxemia during a laboratory-based duathlon

“…Endurance and resistance training exercise also promote changes in liver damage markers in humans, as previously reported during cycling and running competitions [10,13,35,41,49,52,57].…”

Efeitos agudos do exercício físico prolongado: avaliação após ultramaratona de 24 horas

“…It is known that CPK levels increase after great physiological stress [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] , indicating intense catabolic state of skeletal muscle. The intensity and duration of physical exercise are commonly associated with CPK increase and there seems to be a predominant effect of duration 16 .…”

“…Mild, but persistent kidney injury has been demonstrated in some high-performance athletes 20 . The hypovolemia itself may be one of the causes of increased creatinine 15 . Increased urea can be explained by the increased catabolic state.…”

Verificação do dano muscular através da avaliação da concentração de creatina quinase em indivíduos não atletas após prova de ciclismo não competitivo

“…Os dados apontaram menor liberação de CK nos atletas mais condicionados e maiores níveis de CK em atletas menos condicionados. Em estudo conduzido por Fallon et al [16] foram encontrados resultados similares em uma prova de ultramaratona de 1600 km. Koutedakis et al [7] encontraram maior dano em remadores treinados do que em indivíduos saudáveis não remadores.…”