This article examined the relationship of perfectionism, psychological well-being (self-esteem and optimism), reasons for exercising and appearance orientation to eating disorder classification among 204 female collegiate athletes. Multivariate analyses showed that only self-esteem, exercising to improve appearance and be more attractive, and appearance orientation differentiated significantly between the symptomatic/eating disordered ...

Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) is essential to induce the full spectrum of VEGF angiogenic responses to aerobic training. In the present study, we examined the impact of the functional His472Gln polymorphism of the VEGFR2 gene on elite athlete status, endurance performance and muscle fibre type composition. Four ...

Some reports suggest variation in physiological responses and athletic performance, for female athletes at specific phases of the menstrual cycle. However, inconsistent findings are common due to the inappropriate verification of menstrual cycle phase, small subject numbers, high intra- and interindividual variability in estrogen and progesterone concentration, and the pulsatile ...

Optimal exercise performance in well trained athletes can be affected by arterial oxygen saturation failure. Noninvasive detection of this phenomenon when performing a routine ergometric test can be a valuable tool for subsequent planning of the athlete's training recovery, and nutrition. Oximetry has been used to this end. The authors ...

Participation in sports for individuals with disabilities continues to gain popularity. In order to provide fair and equitable competition among persons with different disabilities and functional capacity, a separate functional classification system has been devised for each sport. The aims of the present study were to evaluate aerobic and anaerobic ...

Exercise-associated hyponatremia (EAH) has been well described in the literature, and its pathogenesis has been elucidated. The most common presenting symptoms of EAH are confusion or severe alterations in mental status. Although rhabdomyolysis in association with hyponatremia has been described in other settings, only 1 case of EAH associated with ...

In athletes, exercise training induces autonomic nervous system (ANS) adaptations that could be used to monitor training status. However, the relationship between training and ANS in athletes has been investigated without regard for individual training loads. We tested the hypothesis that in long-distance athletes, changes in ANS parameters are dose-response ...

The effect of respiratory muscle endurance training (RMET) on RM function, dyspnoea and exercise performance was evaluated in SCI athletes. Nine endurance athletes (7 paraplegics T4-L1, 2 post-polio syndromes) were evaluated on three occasions (T1-T3), with a 1-month interval between evaluations. Participants performed between T1 and T2 their standard individual ...

Exercise is beneficial for women of all ages and is associated with long-term health benefits and enhanced well-being. Nevertheless, active women and girls are at risk for conditions resulting from sports and exercise participation. Because of their unique physiology, children are more susceptible to heat illness than adolescents and younger ...

Participation in regular intensive exercise is associated with a modest increase in left ventricular wall thickness (LVWT) and cavity size. The magnitude of these physiological changes is predominantly determined by a variety of demographic factors which include age, gender, size, ethnicity, and sporting discipline. A small minority of male athletes ...

To determine whether highly trained endurance athletes (HT) who develop exercise induced arterial hypoxemia (EIH) also demonstrate reduced peripheral chemoresponsiveness (PC) during exercise, twelve (N=12) HT male cyclists were selected for study. Basic pulmonary function data (FEV1 = 4.69 ± 0.66 L, PVC = 6.12 ± 0.82 L, FEV1 /FVC ...

Over the past 25 years sport climbing has developed from an elite extreme sport subculture pursued by few into a mainstream recreational sport enjoyed globally by climbers of all ages, climbing abilities, and with pre-existing health conditions. As the demands and grades of climbing difficulty have increased over this period, ...

It is the position of the American Dietetic Association, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine that physical activity, athletic performance, and recovery from exercise are enhanced by optimal nutrition. These organizations recommend appropriate selection of foods and fluids, timing of intake, and supplement choices for optimal ...

BACKGROUND: After a concussion, when symptoms have decreased substantially at rest, it is recommended that athletes begin light aerobic exercise before progressing to sport specific exercise. The British Columbia Concussion Rehabilitation Programme (BC-CRP) uses a standardized cognitive and exercise test protocol designed to indicate when an athlete should progress to ...

The slope of the distance-time relationship from maximal 200 and 400 m bouts (S(200-400)) has been increasingly employed for setting training intensities in swimming. However, physiological and mechanical responses at this speed are poorly understood. Thus, this study investigated blood lactate, heart rate (HR), stroke rate (SR), stroke length (SL) ...

Untrained subjects typically demonstrate a plateau in stroke volume beyond the early stages of an acute bout of progressive exercise. Some studies have indicated that the stroke volume pattern in highly trained endurance athletes may differ, continuing to rise progressively to the point of maximal exercise. This suggests that the ...

BACKGROUND: This study is a cross sectional analysis, aiming to evaluate if atopy is as a risk factor for exercise induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) among Tunisian athletes. METHODS: Atopy was defined by a skin prick test result and EIB was defined as a decrease of at least 15% in forced expiratory ...

Maintaining performance levels in athletes remains challenging when metabolic disturbances may be suspected clinically. In athletes there are reported deviations from normal range lab values and multiple factors that may lead to clinical suspicion of thyroid disease, including hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, and thyroiditis. Reports of exogenous thyroxine use in athletes and ...

Heavy exercise induces marked immunodepression, which is multifactorial in origin. Evidence showing clinical significance of this immunodepression is scarce. We assessed in a systematic manner whether physical activity or intensity of exercise increase susceptibility to upper respiratory tract infections (URTI). A literature search was performed using the keywords 'upper respiratory ...

BACKGROUND: Exercise-related respiratory symptoms in the diagnosis of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) have poor predictive value. The aim of this study was to evaluate how athletes presenting with these symptoms are diagnosed and managed in primary care. METHODS: An electronic survey was distributed to a random selection of family practitioners in ...

Athletes competing in sports that require running, changes in direction, repetitive kicking and physical contact are at a relatively higher risk of experiencing episodes of athletic groin pain. To date, there has been no systematic review that aims to inform clinicians about the best available evidence on features of exercise ...

Adaptation to living or training in hypoxic environments (altitude training) continues to gain interest from sport scientists and endurance athletes. Here we present the first meta-analytic review of the effects on performance and related physiological measures following adaptation to six protocols of natural or artificial hypoxia: live-high train-high (LHTH), live-high ...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Exercise has been recognized as a trigger of bronchospasm for centuries. However, there remains much debate regarding the mechanism of this response, nomenclature to describe it, optimal tests for diagnosis, and treatment options. There is a need to review recent findings in this area both for clinicians ...

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormalities in American collegiate football athletes is virtually unknown. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to characterize the type and frequency of ECG abnormalities in a sample of football athletes entering National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision university program. ...

Ski jumping puts high demands on the athlete's ability to control posture and movement. The athlete has to solve extremely difficult optimization problems. These implicit decisions and the resulting control manoeuvres can be understood by means of computer simulations. Computer simulations based on wind tunnel input data can identify the ...

The effects of 4 weeks of calcium supplementation on free- and total testosterone levels were established in active and sedentary adult males at rest and exhaustion. Thirty healthy male athletes were equally divided into three study groups, as follows: Group 1-non-exercising subjects receiving 35 mg calcium/kg body weight; Group 2-subjects ...

AIM: Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) is an essential parameter to watch over defense system of athletes exposed to an oxidant stress during intensive periods of training. To control this parameter throughout the training period, repetitive biological samples are required. The TAC is usually investigated in venous blood which needs invasive ...

PURPOSE: To provide an overview of the pathophysiology, steps in making a diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and treatment methods for vocal cord dysfunction (VCD) in young athletes. DATA SOURCES: Review of published literature about VCD and exercise-induced asthma (EIA) and a case study. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical presentation of VCD is often ...

With a growing awareness of the tragedy of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in young athletes, more extensive pre-participation examinations are being performed prior to competitive sport participation. In addition to a history and physical, young athletes often have a 12-lead resting electrocardiogram (ECG) to better identify heart disease associated with ...

AIM: The mean daily calcium intake of adult Nigerians is reportedly low, and animal studies have shown that exercise-induced changes in the bones of growing mice are gender specific. We therefore sought to describe calcaneal broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA), speed of sound (SOS), stiffness index (SI) and SI-based T-scores in ...

Strength-endurance type of sport can lead to modification of human beings' physiological status. The present study aimed to investigate the alteration of metabolic phenotype or biochemical compositions in professional athletes induced by long-term training by means of a novel systematic tool, metabolomics. Resting venous blood samples of junior and senior ...

Exercise Associated Muscle Cramps (EAMC) is one of the most common conditions that require medical attention during or immediately after sports events. Despite the high prevalence of this condition the aetiology of EAMC in athletes is still not well understood. The purpose of this review is to examine current scientific ...

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP) on serum lactate levels, maximum oxygen consumption (Vo(2max)) and heart rate in male athletes performing aerobic activity. A double-blind, randomized, crossover study was performed in which lactate levels, Vo(2max) and heart rates in 27 male athletes ...

A few studies have reported data on the prevalence of exercise-induced bronchospasm in high school and university athletes. Recently published data suggest that exercise-induced bronchospasm may affect up to 39% of American university athletes. To date, no data describing this pathology in athletes from Central Europe have been published. The ...

A high-speed, low-resistance inertial exercise trainer (IET, Impulse Training Systems, Newnan, Ga) is increasingly employed in rehabilitative and athletic performance settings. Repetitions on an IET are done through a large range of motion because multijoint movements occur over more than one plane of motion, with no limitation on velocities or ...

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of respiratory muscle training (RMT) on intermittent exercise performance, respiratory muscle strength (PI (max)), respiratory muscle fatigue (RMF), and dyspnea in soccer athletes. Collegiate soccer athletes (20 male, 7 female) were randomly divided into either a RMT or control condition ...

This investigation examined the impact of a 17-d training period (that included basketball-specific training, sprints, intermittent running exercises, and weight training, prior to an international championship competition) on salivary immunoglobulin A (SIgA) levels in 10 subjects (athletes and staff members) from a national basketball team, as a biomarker for mucosal ...

The aim of this study was to determine whether endurance training in athletes induces airway inflammation and pulmonary function disorders. Respiratory pattern and function were analysed in ten healthy endurance runners at rest, during sub-maximal exercise, and during the recovery. Inflammatory cells and metabolites (histamine, interleukin-8, and leukotriene E(4)) were ...

Acute traumatic anterior shoulder dislocation is a relatively common occurrence in the athletic population. Although the overall incidence of traumatic shoulder instability in the general population is only 1.7%, the incidence in a high physical-demand population is two-fold greater. Instability often becomes a recurrent pattern and jeopardizes athletic performance and ...

The present study was performed to investigate the effects of strenuous exercise and calcium supplementation on cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone levels in athletes at rest and exhaustion. Thirty male athletes, ages 17-21 years, were enrolled in the 4-week study. They were divided into three groups as follows: group 1 (n ...

STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional observational study. OBJECTIVE: Evaluation and comparison of the prevalence of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) among 2 groups of patients (athletes and nonathletes) to determine whether athletic activities are related to the development of AIS. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The potential association between AIS and exercising remains uncertain. ...

CONTEXT: With regard to sideline concussion testing, the effect of fatigue associated with different types of exercise on postural control is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of fatigue on postural control in healthy college-aged athletes performing anaerobic and aerobic exercise protocols and to establish an immediate recovery time course ...

Among athletes, elite springboard divers (ED) should develop an optimal anticipatory control of postural stability, as a result of specific training. Postural strategies of ED and healthy subjects (HS) while expecting an impending perturbation were compared. The mean center of pressure (COP) position was analyzed during control quiet stance (cQS) ...

Soluble CD40 ligand (sCD40L) is a powerful marker of cardiovascular risk. Exercise is known to decrease cardiovascular risk, but the impact of ultra-endurance exercise on sCD40L responses is unknown. To examine the relationship between ultra-endurance exercise in trained athletes and levels of sCD40L and its natural ligand sCD40. Control-trial, crossover ...

In this work, whether a two-bout exercise protocol can be used to make an objective, immediately available distinction between non-functional over reaching (NFO) and overtraining syndrome (OTS) was studied. Underperforming athletes who were diagnosed with the suspicion of NFO or OTS were included in the study. Recovery of the athletes ...

Acute bouts of ultraendurance exercise may result in the appearance of biomarkers of cardiac cell damage and a transient reduction in left ventricular function. The clinical significance of these changes is not fully understood. There seems to be two competing issues to be resolved. First, could prolonged endurance exercise produce ...

Fluid replacement remains an important strategy for preserving exercise performance as dehydration in excess of 2% of body weight consistently impairs aerobic exercise performance. Too much of a good thing, however, can have negative health consequences as persistent drinking in excess of sweating rate can induce symptomatic exercise associated hyponatremia. ...

Athletes use many different strategies to enhance their performance, including clothing and footwear, training regimes, diets, and ergogenic aids. The use of ergogenic aids is believed to be widespread, with a variety of legal as well as illegal substances being used previously and currently. Among the more popular ergogenic aids ...

The effect of long-term endurance and resistance training on central fatigue has been studied using transcranial magnetic stimulation by exercising the biceps brachii to exhaustion and recording motor-evoked potentials from the non-exercised homologous biceps. Three groups of eight healthy individuals took part: two groups of individuals who had more than ...

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to establish an electrocardiographic (ECG) profile in a biracial population of highly-trained American football players. BACKGROUND: Intense physical training can induce cardiac structural and functional changes ("athlete's heart"), including 12-lead ECG alterations. That race might play a role in determining ECG patterns has ...