Publications & Articles - category / General Articles

Endurance running is good for your skin but does not prevent ageing of blood vessels

 16 Nov 2017    published by: Stephan Praet

Background

Life-long regular endurance exercise yields positive effects on cardiovascular and metabolic function, disease and mortality rate. Glycation may be a major mechanism behind age-related diseases. However, it remains unknown if skin autofluorescence (SAF), which reflects glycation, is related to arterial and metabolic function in life-long endurance runners and sedentary controls.

What are the findings?

The present study shows that skin autofluorescence is linked to human arterial stiffness and insulin resistance in well-trained elderly and young men as well as sedentary controls.

How might it impact on clinical practice in the future?

Since its non-invasive nature skin autofluorescence may in the future be a helpful tool to predict vascular and metabolic dysfunction (early signs of aging and pathology).

Surprisingly, endurance running only had modest effects on cardiovascular function compared to lean healthy controls. So, although other studies have shown that both blood pressure and the endothelium or inner layer of the vascular bed benefit from endurance exercise, the stiffening of the vascular bed due to ageing may not be prevented by life-long regular endurance exercise.

Couppé C, Dall CH, Svensson RB, Olsen RH, Karlsen A, Praet S, Prescott E, Magnusson SP.

ExpGerontol. 2017 May;91:9-14.

doi: 10.1016/j.exger.2017.02.002. Epub 2017 Feb 9.

Illness prevention programs may contribute to success at the Olympic Games

 16 Nov 2017    published by: Stephan Praet

What are the findings?

• Female sex, low energy availability, hygiene practices and mental health are associated with sports incapacity (time loss) due to illness in athletes preparing for Olympic Games competition
• Low energy availability has the highest attributable fraction in the population and further research is needed to investigate the underlying causes and corrective action.
• Athletes who have been ill report lower levels of success and personal accomplishment highlighting the deep multifactorial connections between health, illness and individual perceptions on performance in high-level athletes.

How might it impact on clinical practice in the future?

• Illness prevention programmes should address energy availability, mental health, travel, living situations, hygiene and sex-specific issues.
• Clinicians charged with the care of ill athletes might need to investigate the psychological, environmental, nutritional and hygiene components of the presentation.
• Illness prevention programmes should evaluate the effect of multi-factorial preventive measures.
• Low energy availability and female sex were highly associated with illness.
• Higher reports of depression symptoms and perceived stress are associated with illness.

Drew MK, Vlahovich N, Hughes D, Appaneal R, Peterson K, Burke L, Lundy B, Toomey M, Watts D, Lovell G, Praet S, Halson S, Colbey C, Manzanero S, Welvaert M, West N, Pyne DB, Waddington G.

Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport 20 (2017) 745–750 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2017.02.010 1440-2440