Impact of Exercise on Immune System and Metabolism in Football Players (IEISM)

The Influence of Physical Exercise on Chosen Parameters of the Immune System, Prooxidant-Antioxidant Balance, and Iron Metabolism in Football Players With Various Training Levels

Physical exercise, especially of high intensity, is a significant burden to the athlete's body. It should be emphasized that achieving high results in competitive sports requires significant, sometimes extreme, exercise loads during training, which may result in homeostasis disorders, adversely affecting athletes' fitness. Intense and prolonged physical exercise elevates reactive oxygen species, potentially impacting immune function. The mechanism, particularly in high-intensity activities, remains incompletely understood. Excessive oxygen radicals may induce metabolic changes, causing rapid erythrocyte damage and elevated redox-active free iron. This iron increase can be harmful, increasing oxidative stress and immune system activation. The sustained negative impact that may be observed even during post-workout recovery needs further exploration.

"This study aims to explain the impact of an intense exercise test on the immune system, pro-antioxidant balance, and iron metabolism in athletes with varying training levels. The primary questions it seeks to address are:

1. How do athletes' experience and training background influence the immune system's response, pro-antioxidant balance, and iron regulation?
2. Can the level of adaptation to physical exercise (training status) affect the rate of regeneration and the time required to return to pre-exercise homeostasis?"

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Healthy
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Exercise test

Detailed Description

The study included 40 football players (19 juniors and 21 seniors). The average training experience for junior players was 8.37 years, and for the senior group, it was 16.4 years. All athletes underwent the Multistage 20-meter shuttle run test (Beep Test). Players were informed about the test procedures and additionally motivated by the trainer to exert maximum effort. Each attempt was preceded by a warm-up, consisting of a 5-minute low-intensity jog. The Beep Test was supervised by the Team trainer using a program as a monitoring tool to examine changes in the level of cardio-respiratory fitness across all age groups. Blood samples were collected at rest, before the exercise test, then 1 minute after the end of the exercise test, after 3 hours of recovery, and finally, after 24 hours. Blood was drawn from the antecubital vein, with 12 ml collected each time.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 40

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Poland
  • Poznań, Poland, 61-871
    • Poznań University of Physical Education

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Forty healthy football players, aged from 22 to 37 years. The average training experience for junior players was 8 years and 16 for the senior group.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Competitive football training for at least 3 years
• Male
• Not taking any medications throughout the study
• Provide voluntary consent for participation in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

• Any healthy problems

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
Junior; Junior soccer players 19 male, average training experience: 8 years	Other: Exercise test; Beep Test for measuring aerobic power
Senior; Senior Soccer players 21 male, average training experience: 16 years	Other: Exercise test; Beep Test for measuring aerobic power

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Changes in iron level	marker of iron management	At rest (before the exercise test), 1 minute after the end of the test, after 3 hours, and 24 hours of recovery.
Changes in hepcidin	marker of iron management	At rest (before the exercise test), 1 minute after the end of the test, after 3 hours, and 24 hours of recovery.
Changes in lactoferrin	marker of iron management	At rest (before the exercise test), 1 minute after the end of the test, after 3 hours, and 24 hours of recovery.
Changes in tryptophan	marker of immune response	At rest (before the exercise test), 1 minute after the end of the test, after 3 hours, and 24 hours of recovery.
Changes in testosterone	marker of hormonal response	At rest (before the exercise test), 1 minute after the end of the test, after 3 hours, and 24 hours of recovery.
Changes in cortisol	marker of hormonal response	At rest (before the exercise test), 1 minute after the end of the test, after 3 hours, and 24 hours of recovery.
Changes in serotonin	marker of neurohormonal response	At rest (before the exercise test), 1 minute after the end of the test, after 3 hours, and 24 hours of recovery.
Changes in myoglobin	marker of muscle damage	At rest (before the exercise test), 1 minute after the end of the test, after 3 hours, and 24 hours of recovery.
Changes in UIBC (unsaturated iron-binding capacity)	marker of iron management	At rest (before the exercise test), 1 minute after the end of the test, after 3 hours, and 24 hours of recovery.
Changes in TIBC (total iron-binding capacity)	marker of iron management	At rest (before the exercise test), 1 minute after the end of the test, after 3 hours, and 24 hours of recovery.
Changes in IL-6 (interleukin-6)	marker of immune system	At rest (before the exercise test), 1 minute after the end of the test, after 3 hours, and 24 hours of recovery.
Changes in IL-10 (interleukin-10)	marker of immune system	At rest (before the exercise test), 1 minute after the end of the test, after 3 hours, and 24 hours of recovery.
Changes in TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor-alpha)	marker of immune response	At rest (before the exercise test), 1 minute after the end of the test, after 3 hours, and 24 hours of recovery.
Changes in IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1)	marker of hormonal response	At rest (before the exercise test), 1 minute after the end of the test, after 3 hours, and 24 hours of recovery.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Poznan University of Physical Education
• Collaborators: Nicolaus Copernicus University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Joanna Ostapiuk-Karolczuk, Ph.D., Poznań University of Physical Education

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 1, 2017
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 10, 2018
• Study Completion (Actual): November 15, 2018

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 30, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 30, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): January 11, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 10, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 8, 2024
• Last Verified: July 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: 382/2017

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No