title: Glucocorticoid response to exercise as measured by serum and salivary cortisol.
abstract: Serum and salivary cortisol concentrations were studied in 78 elite athletes engaged in different sports, by subjecting them to high-intensity laboratory exercise. The mean difference in the pre-exercise cortisol concentrations in the seven groups studied were more marked in serum (from 311 to 768 nmol.l-1) than in saliva (from 17.9 to 22.7 nmol.l-1, only one group reaching 40 nmol.l-1). Judging from the correlation coefficients based on total variances, the post-/pre-exercise differences in cortisol concentrations in serum depended chiefly on pre-exercise values, while those in saliva tended to depend more on the postexercise concentrations. The coefficients of correlation between that difference and either the pre- or postexercise values were -0.71 and 0.47, respectively, for serum, and -0.51 and 0.58, respectively, for saliva. This would suggest that salivary cortisol concentration might be a more suitable variable for assessing glucocorticoid activity in exercise than serum cortisol concentration, probably being less sensitive to pre-exercise emotional state.
authors: Department of Endocrinology, Institute of Sport, Warsaw, Poland.
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Stupnicki
authors: Z
authors: Z
authors: Obminski
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000302:Adrenal Cortex / Q000502:physiology; D000328:Adult; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D012463:Saliva / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids; D006854:Hydrocortisone