Abstract
Endurance training may lead to different hormonal alterations e. g., exercised induced
hypothalamic ovarian/testicular dysfunction. The aim of this study was to reveal new
connections between physical exercise, leptin and hormonal responses. 36 male participants
of the Berlin-Marathon had their blood samples taken 2 days before the marathon. Hormones
of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis and leptin were correlated with the training status
and the achieved marathon time. Leptin correlated with the achieved marathon time
after being adjusted for age and BMI (r=0.607, p<0.001) and was lowest in the best
trained runners. Additionally, when the group was divided into quartiles of their
achieved marathon time, significantly increased cortisol, fT4, cortisol/DHEAS ratio
and decreased IGF-1 levels were observed in the slowest group. In the better trained
group, a decrease of testosterone/DHT ratio and an increase of testosterone/cortisol
ratio were observed. Our study supports the thesis of a linear relationship between
physical fitness and leptin variations in the physiological range. We found an increased
anabolic hormonal response in well trained marathon runners and hormonal reactions
of increased stress in less trained runners. As the stress-induced neuroendocrine
adaptations in our study group are associated with more higher leptin values, the
pathophysiological role of decreased leptin values seems to be limited to overtrained
athletes.
Key words
leptin - hypothalamic-pituitary axis - overtraining
