Key result
CPET-induced salivary cortisol changes correlate with anaerobic threshold oxygen uptake, effectively tracking serum levels.
Why the study?
To evaluate variations in salivary and serum cortisol in professional football players undergoing CPET for assessing overtraining, and to determine whether salivary cortisol can substitute serum sampling.
Does cardiopulmonary exercise testing induce significant variations in blood and salivary cortisol levels that correlate with exercise performance markers in professional football players?
Cross-Sectional (n=19)
No
Does cardiopulmonary exercise testing induce significant variations in blood and salivary cortisol levels that correlate with exercise performance markers in professional football players?
p-value: p=0.005
Salivary cortisol non-invasively tracks physiological stress during maximal exercise and correlates with anaerobic threshold metabolic shifts in elite athletes.
Salivary cortisol may enable non-invasive stress monitoring during CPET in athletes; leaves open prospective validation before clinical or training use.
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.
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Honceriu et al. (2023) conducted a cross-sectional in Healthy professional football players (n=19). Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) vs. Resting state was evaluated on Correlation of T2 salivary cortisol with maximal oxygen uptake at the anaerobic threshold divided by body weight (VO2-AT/weight) (p=0.005). Cardiopulmonary exercise testing resulted in salivary and serum cortisol variations that significantly correlated with oxygen uptake at the anaerobic threshold, and salivary levels effectively substituted serum measurements.
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