Acute moderate-intensity exercise increases total antioxidant capacity and anti-inflammatory responses in competitive cyclists: The role of adiponectin

• Published in: European journal of inflammation Vol. 19
• Main Authors: Jakus, Tadeja, Jurdana, Mihaela, Žiberna, Lovro, Pražnikar, Zala J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.03.2021; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC; SAGE Publishing
• Subjects: Antioxidants; Bicycling; Oxidative stress; adiponectin; cycling; athlete; inflammation; oxidative stress; TAC
• ISSN: 2058-7392; 1721-727X; 2058-7392
• DOI: 10.1177/2058739221998890

High-intensity exercise can elicit acute changes in the biochemical and physiological processes in the body of an athlete, including increased oxidative stress and inflammation. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of acute moderate-intensity exercise on total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and serum levels of anti-inflammatory adiponectin (APN), and inflammatory markers in competitive cyclists. Ten male cyclists (age 15–26 years, body mass index 19.4–24.7 kg/m2) participated in this study. Each subject performed the maximal oxygen uptake test (VO2peak) and completed a 10-min cycling exercise at a workload of 50% of the peak of VO2peak. Blood samples were collected on three different occasions: after an overnight fasting and at the exercise workloads of 50% and 100% VO2peak. We measured APN, TAC, inflammatory markers as well as assessed nutrient and energy intake for each participant. Baseline concentration of serum APN (10.92 µg/mL) significantly increased at 50% and at 100% VO2peak. In addition, TAC also increased after acute exercise (0.079 vs 0.093 nmol/µL). The concentration of APN at 50% VO2peak positively correlated with the CRP (r = 0.640, p = 0.046) and negatively correlated with TNF-α (r = −0.696, p = 0.025). This test showed that short (10 min) and medium-intensity (50% VO2peak) exercise activity in trained athletes evoked beneficial antioxidant and anti-inflammatory responses. Importantly, this response correlates with the increase in APN levels thereby showing that highly trained individuals have beneficial responses originating from adipose tissue. Our observations show that a short training at moderate activity can be an important preservative strategy during the recovery training period.