Cardiopulmonary exercise testing elicited cortisol variations showing significant correlations between salivary and serum levels, suggesting salivary sampling could substitute venous blood sampling.
Observational (n=19)
Does salivary cortisol correlate with serum cortisol and CPET parameters in professional football players?
Salivary cortisol can reliably substitute for serum cortisol in athletes, but cortisol variations are not recommended as a routine biomarker for evaluating overtraining during CPET.
Background and Objectives: Cortisol is a valuable marker for assessing the body’s response to any form of stress. We conducted this study in order to evaluate the variations of salivary and serum cortisol levels in professional football players in relation to cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) and their significance in potentially evaluating overtraining in athletes. Also, the question of whether salivary cortisol determination could fully substitute serum sampling was addressed. Materials and Methods: A total of 19 male professional football players were evaluated by measuring serum cortisol levels at rest (T0) and immediately after a CPET (T1) and salivary cortisol levels at rest (T0), 10 min after a CPET (T2), and 30 min after a CPET (T3). Results: T0 serum cortisol showed a statistically significant correlation with the oxygen uptake at the anaerobic threshold divided by the body weight (VO2-AT/weight), as did the T2 salivary cortisol with the maximum oxygen uptake at the anaerobic threshold (VO2-AT) and VO2-AT/weight. T0 salivary cortisol was significantly correlated with the subjects’ height and the predicted O2 pulse. Conclusions: While some correlations were discovered, they are insufficient to recommend cortisol as a routine biomarker in athletes’ evaluation. However, significant correlations were established between salivary and serum determinations, meaning that the non-invasive procedure could substitute venous blood sampling.
Honceriu et al. (Wed,) conducted a observational in Healthy athletes (n=19). Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) vs. Rest was evaluated on Variations of salivary and serum cortisol levels in relation to CPET parameters. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing elicited cortisol variations showing significant correlations between salivary and serum levels, suggesting salivary sampling could substitute venous blood sampling.