Christ Tabea, Ringleb Miriam, Haunhorst Simon, Fennen Lena, Jordan Paul M, Wagner Heiko, Puta Christian
Department of Movement Science, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.
Department of Sports Medicine and Health Promotion, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany.
Front Sports Act Living. 2024 Jan 26;6:1264814. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2024.1264814. eCollection 2024.
In times of physical stress, the body orchestrates a multisystemic regulatory response. The hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine play a role in the immediate regulation chain, while cortisol is involved in delayed regulation. The release of those stress hormones in response to exercise has previously been reported to elicit diverse immune reactions.
The aim of this systematic review was to examine and present the acute effects of immediate pre- and mid-exercise carbohydrate ingestion on cortisol, epinephrine and norepinephrine levels in experienced endurance athletes.
A systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed, Cochrane Library and Web of Science in accordance with PRISMA guidelines up to February 2023. Randomized controlled trials in English or German language were included if baseline and at least two follow-up measures of blood plasma or serum of chosen stress hormones (cortisol, epinephrine, norepinephrine) were collected in response to prolonged continuous endurance activity. Eligibility furthermore required an acute carbohydrate ingestion of at least 30 g of carbohydrates per hour no more than 30 min before start of the exercise, as well as a placebo-controlled study design.
Eleven studies of moderate to high quality were included in this review. Carbohydrate ingestion of at least 30 g per hour was able to attenuate rises in cortisol concentration in majority of the included studies. Epinephrine levels were considerably lower with ingestion of carbohydrates compared to placebo in all studies. Norepinephrine concentrations were largely unaffected by acute carbohydrate feeding.
Pre- and mid-exercise ingestion of carbohydrates seems an effective dietary strategy to attenuate rises in cortisol and epinephrine levels and, thus, an effective countermeasure for endurance exercise-induced increases in stress hormone levels.
在身体应激状态下，身体会协调多系统的调节反应。肾上腺素和去甲肾上腺素在即时调节链中发挥作用，而皮质醇则参与延迟调节。先前有报道称，这些应激激素因运动而释放会引发多种免疫反应。
本系统评价的目的是研究并呈现即时运动前和运动中摄入碳水化合物对有经验的耐力运动员皮质醇、肾上腺素和去甲肾上腺素水平的急性影响。
根据PRISMA指南，截至2023年2月，使用PubMed、Cochrane图书馆和Web of Science进行了系统的文献检索。纳入英语或德语的随机对照试验，如果在长时间持续耐力活动后收集了所选应激激素（皮质醇、肾上腺素、去甲肾上腺素）的血浆或血清的基线及至少两次随访测量值。此外，纳入标准还要求在运动开始前不超过30分钟每小时急性摄入至少30克碳水化合物，以及采用安慰剂对照的研究设计。
本评价纳入了11项中高质量研究。在大多数纳入研究中，每小时至少摄入30克碳水化合物能够减弱皮质醇浓度的升高。在所有研究中，与安慰剂相比，摄入碳水化合物后肾上腺素水平显著降低。急性摄入碳水化合物对去甲肾上腺素浓度基本没有影响。
运动前和运动中摄入碳水化合物似乎是一种有效的饮食策略，可减弱皮质醇和肾上腺素水平的升高，因此是应对耐力运动引起的应激激素水平升高的有效对策。
