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 .
Hormonal responses in athletes: the use of a two bout exercise protocol to detect subtle differences in (over)training status
In overtrained athletes , several signs and symptoms have been associated with the imbalance between training and recovery . However , reliable diagnostic markers for distinguishing between well-trained , overreached ( OR ) and overtrained ( OT ) athletes are lacking . A hallmark feature of overtraining syndrome ( OTS ) is the inability to sustain intense exercise and recover for the next training or competition session . We therefore devised a test protocol utilizing two bouts of maximal work . With this test protocol we tried to establish a difference in hormonal responses between the training status of T and OR athletes . Seven well-trained cyclists participated in this study and were tested before and after a training camp . We also present the data of one OT motocross athlete who was clinical ly diagnosed as overtrained . All athletes performed two maximal exercise tests separated by 4 h. Blood was analyzed for cortisol , adrenocorticotrophic hormone ( ACTH ) , growth hormone and prolactin ( PRL ) . Performance decreased by 6 % between the first and the second exercise test in the OR group and by 11 % in the OT subject . Moreover , during the second exercise test there were more marked differences between the T and OR athletes ; in particular , the OT subject did not show an increase in some of the hormonal responses . PRL increased only by 14 % in the OT subject ’s second test and there was a 7 % decrease in ACTH . The two exercise approach enables us to detect subtle performance decrements that will not be identified by one exercise trigger . The hormonal responses to the second exercise test were different between the T and OR athletes ( the increase in the T group was higher than in the OR that was higher than in the OT ) . The results of the case presentation of an overtrained athlete provide evidence of an altered and dysfunctional hypothalamic – pituitary axis response to two bouts of maximal exercise . These findings can be used to develop markers for diagnosis of OTS and to begin to address the pathologic mechanism operative in the syndrome , as well as providing an outcome measure to evaluate possible therapeutic regimes
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 .