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Effect of marathon and ultra‐marathon on inflammation and iron homeostasis
Author(s) -
Kaufmann Christoph C.,
Wegberger Claudia,
Tscharre Maximilian,
Haller Paul M.,
Piackova Edita,
Vujasin Irena,
Kassem Mona,
Tentzeris Ioannis,
Freynhofer Matthias K.,
Jäger Bernhard,
Wojta Johann,
Huber Kurt
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of medicine and science in sports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.575
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1600-0838
pISSN - 0905-7188
DOI - 10.1111/sms.13869
Subject(s) - transferrin saturation , ferritin , inflammation , iron homeostasis , medicine , iron status , serum iron , endurance training , hepcidin , iron deficiency , transferrin , c reactive protein , homeostasis , physiology , immunology , endocrinology , serum ferritin , metabolism , hemoglobin , anemia
The physiological response to high‐level endurance exercise, such as running a marathon, poses several beneficial but also potentially harmful metabolic changes. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of marathon (M) and ultra‐marathon (UM) on inflammation and iron homeostasis in paired samples. Fifteen well‐trained, non‐professional endurance athletes (14 males, 1 female) performed both a 130 km ultra‐marathon and a traditional 42.195 km marathon. We determined markers of inflammation and iron homeostasis before, immediately after, and within 5 days after finishing each run, respectively. Biomarkers of inflammation (leucocytes, neutrophil granulocytes, monocytes, and c‐reactive protein [CRP]) increased significantly after both marathon and ultra‐marathon with higher levels of CRP after ultra‐marathon compared with marathon both immediately after the race (18.15 ± 12.41 vs 5.58 ± 9.65 mg/L, P < .001) and at follow‐up (15.67 ± 16.97 vs 7.19 ± 7.75 mg/L, P = .045) Concentrations of ferritin also increased significantly after both races and remained high at follow‐up. Higher levels of ferritin immediately after the race (111.5 ± 103.2 vs 84.8 ± 86.3, P = .001) and at follow‐up (102.7 ± 79.5 vs 74.6 ± 65.6, P = .001) were found in ultra‐marathon finishers. The observed increase of serum iron and transferrin saturation (TSAT) after marathon and the decrease of serum iron and TSAT after ultra‐marathon resulted in a significant absolute difference between the two races. The present data suggest a higher degree of inflammation after ultra‐marathon compared with marathon. Markers of iron homeostasis also showed different response patterns with regard to running distance.