Basal levels of hormones were mostly normal in athletes with OTS/FOR/NFOR compared with healthy athletes .
Distinctly , stimulation tests , mainly performed in maximal exercise conditions , showed blunted GH and ACTH responses in OTS/FOR/NFOR athletes , whereas cortisol and plasma catecholamines showed conflicting findings and the other hormones responded normally .
Conclusion Basal hormone levels are not good predictor but blunted ACTH and GH responses to stimulation tests may be good predictors of OTS/FOR/NFOR
Background Overtraining syndrome ( OTS ) , functional ( FOR ) and non-functional overreaching ( NFOR ) are conditions diagnosed in athletes with decreased performance and fatigue , triggered by metabolic , immune , hormonal and other dysfunctions and result ed from an imbalance between training stress and proper recovery .
Despite previous descriptions , there is a lack of a review that discloses all hormonal findings in OTS/FOR/NFOR .
The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate whether and which roles hormones play in OTS/FOR/NFOR .
Physiological, biochemical and psychological markers of strenuous training-induced fatigue.
The purpose of the study was to investigate whether severe fatigue , possibly leading to overreaching , could be diagnosed at an early stage by a combination of parameters . Seven well-trained male subjects ( age [ mean + /- SD ] : 25.3 + /- 4.7 yr ; body mass : 76 + /- 6.6 kg ; VO2max : 61.1 + /- 7 ml.kg(-1).min(-1 ) ) increased their training load by doubling their training volume and increasing the intensity by 15 % over a period of two weeks . Before and after this intensified training period subjects underwent a series of tests including a maximal incremental cycle ergometer test ( Wmax ) with continuous ventilatory measurements and blood lactate values , time trial , basal blood parameter tests ( red and white blood profile ) , hormones [ growth hormone ( GH ) , insulin-like growth factor 1(IGF-1 ) , adreno-corticotropic hormone ( ACTH ) , cortisol ] , neuro-endocrine stress test [ short insulin tolerance test ( SITT ) , combined anterior pituitary test ( CAPT ) and exercise ] , a shortened Profile of Mood State ( POMS ) , the estimated rate of perceived exertion ( RPE ) and a cognitive reaction time test . The intensified training period result ed in a significant increase of the training load ( p < 0.01 ) , training monotony ( p < 0.01 ) and training strain ( p < 0.01 ) . The RPE during training increased significantly ( p < 0.01 ) during the intensified training period . Total mood score obtained from the POMS tended to increase ( p=0.06 ) , reflecting an increase in worse mood state . A novel finding was that reaction times increased significantly , indicating that overreaching might adversely affect speed of information processing by the brain , especially for the most difficult conditions . After the intensified training period , neither changes in exercise-induced plasma hormone values , nor SITT values were observed . During the CAPT only cortisol showed a significant decrease after the intensified training period . Hemoglobin showed a significant decrease after the intensified training period whereas hematocrit , red blood cell count ( RBC ) and MCV tended to decrease . The intensified training had no effect on physical performance ( Wmax or time trial ) , maximal blood lactate , maximal heart rate and white blood cell profile . The most sensitive parameters for detecting overreaching are reaction time performance ( indicative for cognitive brain functioning ) , RPE and to a lesser extend the shortened POMS . This strongly suggests , that central fatigue precedes peripheral fatigue . All other systems , including the neuro-endocrine , are more robust and react most likely at a later stage in exhaustive training periods
Basal levels of hormones were mostly normal in athletes with OTS/FOR/NFOR compared with healthy athletes .
Distinctly , stimulation tests , mainly performed in maximal exercise conditions , showed blunted GH and ACTH responses in OTS/FOR/NFOR athletes , whereas cortisol and plasma catecholamines showed conflicting findings and the other hormones responded normally .
Conclusion Basal hormone levels are not good predictor but blunted ACTH and GH responses to stimulation tests may be good predictors of OTS/FOR/NFOR
Background Overtraining syndrome ( OTS ) , functional ( FOR ) and non-functional overreaching ( NFOR ) are conditions diagnosed in athletes with decreased performance and fatigue , triggered by metabolic , immune , hormonal and other dysfunctions and result ed from an imbalance between training stress and proper recovery .
Despite previous descriptions , there is a lack of a review that discloses all hormonal findings in OTS/FOR/NFOR .
The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate whether and which roles hormones play in OTS/FOR/NFOR .