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JOURNAL
OF
SPORTS SCIENCE &
MEDICINE
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Research
article
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MARKERS OF INFLAMMATION, ENDOTHELIAL ACTIVATION AND AUTOIMMUNITY IN ADOLESCENT FEMALE GYMNASTS |
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Eyad Alshammari1, Shahida Shafi1, Jaana Nurmi-Lawton1, Dayangku Fatiha Pengiran Burut1, Susan Lanham-New1 and Gordon Ferns1,2  |
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1Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK 2Guy Hilton Research Centre, Institute of Science & Technology in Medicine, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire, UK |
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© Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (2010) 9, 538 - 546 |
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| ABSTRACT | |||
| High levels of physical activity have been linked to benefits
in cardiovascular and bone health by affecting, in part, changes in proinflammatory
profile. Therefore, we have aimed to assess the effects of intensive training
on markers of inflammation, endothelial activation and auto-immunity in
the absence of the potential confounding effects of incident atherosclerosis.
The subjects comprised 25 competitive gymnasts and 19 healthy sedentary
adolescent females, aged 8-17 years. Serum soluble intercellular adhesion
molecule 1 (sICAM-1), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), heat
shock protein 27 (Hsp27) and Hsp27 antibody titres were measured by ELISAs
in a sample of adolescent girls who were either physically active (competitive
gymnasts) or sedentary. The association between age, body mass index (BMI),
dietary intake, serum hsCRP, sICAM-1 and Hsp27 antigen and antibody titres
were determined. The mean serum sICAM-1 concentrations were significantly
higher in the gymnasts compared to the sedentary females (0.29 ± 0.02 versus
0.23 ± 0.01 mg·L-1, p < 0.01). In contrast serum hsCRP concentrations
were substantially lower in the gymnasts compared to the sedentary adolescent
females (0.49 ± 0.03 versus 1.38 ± 0.19 mg·L-1, p < 0.001). Differences
remained significant after adjustment for anthropometric factors. We also
found that serum Hsp27 antigen concentrations were determined by dietary
saturated fat intake (p < 0.001), and antibody titres to Hsp27 were determined
by dietary PUFA (p < 0.001) after adjustment for BMI. Our findings show
that young female gymnasts have an altered profile of inflammatory markers
and endothelial activation compared to their less physically active peers.
Key words: Physical activity, dietary intakes, hsCRP, sICAM-1, Hsp27, antibodies |
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