Borrione P, Pigozzi F, Massazza G, Schonhuber H, Viberti G, Paccotti P, Angeli A
Internal Medicine, Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
J Endocrinol Invest. 2007 May;30(5):367-75. doi: 10.1007/BF03346312.
Hyperhomocysteinemia is a well-established risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. The aims of this study were to longitudinally investigate, in a group of elite athletes, plasma homocysteine levels and to search for relationships with the muscular workload and the vitamin status. One hundred and three athletes (59 males and 44 females, respectively) were evaluated in different periods: namely the recovery period, the training period, and the competition period; 84 subjects (37 males and 47 females), served as controls. The evaluation sessions consisted in blood sampling and medical examination. The percentages of athletes with normal and elevated homocysteine levels, defined by levels below or above the limit of 15 mumol/l, were 68.0% and 32.0%, respectively, in the recovery period, and these percentages remained unchanged during the following periods. In the control group, relevant percentages were 92.9% and 7.1%, respectively. The comparison between plasma homocysteine of male and female, evaluated in the recovery period, showed significantly higher levels in the former group (18.8+/-18.0 micromol/l vs 10.7+/-5.9 micromol/l, p<0.001 respectively), as well as a higher proportion of individuals with hyperhomocysteinemia (24/59 vs 9/44, p<0.05). The correlation analyses showed a weak but significant negative correlation between homocysteine and folate in the three periods considered, while no significant relationship was observed between homocysteine and creatine-kinase. We found excess prevalence of hyperhomocysteinemia in elite athletes of winter sports. A strategy to understand which mechanisms in these athletes subserve hyperhomocysteinemia is essential in order to reduce the potential risk for future cardio-vascular morbidity and mortality.
高同型半胱氨酸血症是心血管疾病公认的危险因素。本研究的目的是纵向调查一组精英运动员的血浆同型半胱氨酸水平，并寻找其与肌肉工作量和维生素状态之间的关系。103名运动员（分别为59名男性和44名女性）在不同时期接受了评估，即恢复期、训练期和比赛期；84名受试者（37名男性和47名女性）作为对照。评估环节包括血液采样和医学检查。同型半胱氨酸水平正常（定义为低于15μmol/l）和升高的运动员百分比在恢复期分别为68.0%和32.0%，在随后的时期这些百分比保持不变。在对照组中，相应的百分比分别为92.9%和7.1%。在恢复期评估的男性和女性血浆同型半胱氨酸之间的比较显示，前一组的水平显著更高（分别为18.8±18.0μmol/l和10.7±5.9μmol/l，p<0.001），以及高同型半胱氨酸血症个体的比例更高（24/59对9/44，p<0.05）。相关性分析显示，在考虑的三个时期，同型半胱氨酸与叶酸之间存在微弱但显著的负相关，而同型半胱氨酸与肌酸激酶之间未观察到显著关系。我们发现冬季运动项目的精英运动员中高同型半胱氨酸血症的患病率过高。了解这些运动员中哪些机制导致高同型半胱氨酸血症的策略对于降低未来心血管疾病发病和死亡的潜在风险至关重要。
