Enrique Serrano Ostariz

Skinfold thicknesses associated with distance running performance in highly trained runners

Abstract It has been postulated that additional adiposity has a negative effect on performance in heterogeneous groups of runners. Previous studies have not tested this hypothesis in homogeneous groups of elite runners. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the sum of skinfold thicknesses and specific single skinfold sites were related to competitive running performance in homogeneous groups of male and female elite athletes. In total, 184 top-class runners (130 males and 54 females) volunteered to participate in the study. Skinfolds were measured at the following sites: biceps, triceps, subscapular, pectoral, iliac crest, abdominal, front thigh and medial calf. Runners were classified into groups in accordance with their best performance times. Correlation analysis and partial correlation coefficients that controlled for age and weight were applied to each single skinfold, the sum of six skinfolds (excluding biceps) and the extremity (sum of triceps, front thigh, medial calf) to trunk (sum of subscapular, iliac crest, abdominal) ratio and performance. Performance was rated by the scoring procedures of the International Amateur Athletics Federation. In male runners, the pectoral, iliac crest, abdominal, biceps, triceps, subscapular skinfolds and the sum of six skinfolds were not associated with performance score for any of the distances. High correlations were found between the front thigh (r = 0.78, P = 0.000) and medial calf (r = 0.55, P = 0.018) skinfolds and 1500 m run time, and between the front thigh (r = 0.59, P = 0.014) and medial calf (r = 0.57, P = 0.017) skinfolds and 10,000 m run time. In female runners, the front thigh and medial calf skinfolds were highly correlated with 400 m run time (r = 0.71, P = 0.022 and r = 0.81, P = 0.005, respectively). The results of this study indicate that skinfold thicknesses in the lower limb are positively associated with running time over several distances, and may be a useful predictor of athletic performance.

Is there an association between fibromyalgia and below-normal levels of urinary cortisol?

BackgroundAdynamia in fibromyalgia (FM) may be an expression of a functional deficit of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and be associated with below-normal levels of urinary cortisol. Our aim was to demonstrate that urinary cortisol was lower in patients with FM than in healthy subjects.FindingsWe measured urinary cortisol levels for a sample of 47 women aged 29 to 64 years (mean age 53 years), diagnosed with FM 2–3 years previously, and compared the results with those for a control sample of 58 healthy women of a similar age. Samples of 24-hour urine were appropriately collected and levels of urinary cortisol were measured using the fluorescence polarization immunoassay method. The mean cortisol value for the women with FM was 65.40 ± 27.10 μg/L, significantly lower than the mean cortisol level for the control group, at 90.83 ± 38.17 μg/L (p < 0.001).ConclusionOur study confirms that women with FM have significantly lower urinary cortisol levels than healthy women.

Evaluación de la cortisoluria en mujeres diagnosticadas de fibromialgia

OBJECTIVE We propose a comparative study of urinary cortisol in a controlled simple group of patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia (FM) during a minimum time frame (3 years) vs. a normal group with the same characteristics of age and gender. Our objective is to demonstrate if urinary cortisol at lower levels than those found in the normal population, as long as FM is regarded, could help to evaluate the fatigue. METHODS We determined the urinary cortisol in a group of 47 women with a clinical diagnosis of FM using the criteria from the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 1990, with ages between 29 and 64 years, in whom an accurate sample was collected and cortisol was determined using an FPIA method. The results were compared with the urinary cortisol obtained in a group of 88 healthy women within the same age range as those with FM. RESULTS Urinary cortisol in FM was 65.0 microg/l (median), which was significantly lower than that of the healthy group (80.0 microg/l), p<0.001. CONCLUSION 33.4% of patients with FM displayed urinary cortisol concentrations significantly lower than the group of women without FM.

Relación entre las dimensiones de la condición física saludable y el gasto energético derivado de lapráctica de actividad física en tiempo libre

Resumen Introduccion Diferentes estudios sobre condicion fisica, senalan, a esta como un factor relevante para reducir el riesgo de mortalidad y favorecer la salud. Su mejora, ademas de estar influenciada por factores geneticos, puede ser consecuencia de la realizacion de actividad fisica. Metodo El estudio se realizo en 447 sujetos de edades comprendidas entre 20 y 64 anos. Para registrar el gasto energetico en tiempo libre hemos utilizado un cuestionario validado en poblacion espanola, Minnesota Leisure Time Physical Activity Questionnaire, (MLTPAQ). Para medir la condicion fisica utilizamos la bateria Eurofit para adultos, (Consejo de Europa, 1995). Resultados y discusion: No existen diferencias significativas en el gasto energetico en tiempo libre entre hombres (210,0 ± 399,51 kcal-dia’1) y mujeres (235,6 ± 258,71 kcal-dia ’). La involucion que sufren los resultados de las diferentes pruebas de condicion fisica con la edad (de 20 a 64 anos), es mayor en el caso del hombre en todas las pruebas excepto en la prueba de abdominales. El hombre presenta mejores resultados en todas las pruebas de condicion fisica a excepcion de la prueba de flexibilidad. Conclusiones Encontramos una relacion significativa, debil y positiva entre el gasto energetico en tiempo libre y los diferentes resultados obtenidos en las diferentes pruebas de condicion fisica.

Adaptación cardiaca de los espesores y del volumen del ventrículo izquierdo para distintos tipos de entrenamiento.

Resumen Morganrroth y cois. (1975) formularon el factor diferencial del tipo de entrenamiento sobre ia viscera cardiaca: “en aquellos atletas que practican deportes estaticos se produce una hipertrofia cardiaca y en los que entrenan de forma dinamica se produce una dilatacion cardiaca. En la actualidad los resultados encontrados son contradictorios. 135 atletas clasificados de acuerdo a su mejor Puntuacion IAAF fueron distribuidos en las diferentes pruebas (desde 100 metros hasta maraton). Un estudio eco-cardiografico fue llevado a cabo para cada atleta mediante un aparato de ecocar-diografia (Toshiba SSH-140a; Toshiba Medical System S.A., Espana), que incorpora imagen mono y bidimensional y Doppler pulsado, continuo y codificado en color. Las variables ecocardiograficas medidas fueron: la dimension diastolica del ventriculo izquierdo (DVID), la pared posterior del ventriculo izquierdo (PP) y el septo interventricular (SIV). El DVID es significativamente mas elevado en las pruebas de mediofondo y fondo que en las de velocidad. No se encuentran variaciones entre las diferentes pruebas para la PP y el SIV. El promedio de DVID es mas elevado en nuestros atletas que en los informados en otros estudios, un 23,5% de los atletas que compiten en distancias superiores a los 800 metros tuvieron un DVID > 59,5 mm; los valores de la PP y del SIV no son mas elevados que los encontrados en otros estudios.