A combination of routine blood analytes predicts fitness decrement in elderly endurance athletes

Basal myokine levels are associated with quality of life and depressed mood in older adults

In an aging society, late-life depression has become an increasing problem. There is evidence that physical activity ameliorates depressive symptoms and increases the quality of life (QoL). However, the underlying mechanisms are still poorly understood. Myokines are molecules secreted in response to muscle contraction. Some of them can cross the blood-brain barrier, making them promising candidates for mediating the beneficial effects of physical activity on mood. The present study aims to compare circulating myokine levels to depression/QoL in older athletes and controls. 55 athletes, 57 controls >59 years were enrolled. The assessment included ergometry, magnetic resonance imaging, blood withdrawal, and neuropsychological testing. Serum interleukin-6 (IL-6), irisin, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), kynurenine, and cathepsin B were analyzed and compared to surrogates of depression and quality of life. Athletes presented with higher levels of Cathepsin B. Among controls, all myokines but irisin were associated with age. Also, among controls, kynurenine and IL-6 correlated inversely with specific dimensions of quality of life questionnaires, and IL-6 further with depressive symptoms and decreased physical performance. No such associations could be found among athletes. Irisin levels were inversely associated with mild depression and low-grade white matter-lesions in the brain and predicted impaired QoL. The circulating levels of several myokines/muscle activity-related factors appear to be associated with depressive symptoms and impaired QoL among older adults. However, in athletes, some of these connections seem ameliorated, suggesting additional stressors (as f.e. age) or a different pathomechanism among athletes.

Stratification of athletes' gut microbiota: the multifaceted hubs associated with dietary factors, physical characteristics and performance

Gut microbial communities of athletes differ from that of sedentary persons in both diversity and the presence of certain taxa. However, it is unclear to what degree elite athletes and non-elite athletes harbor different gut microbial community patterns and if we can effectively monitor the potential of athletes based on microbiota. A team of professional female rowing athletes in China was recruited and 306 fecal samples were collected from 19 individuals, which were separated into three cohorts: adult elite athlete's (AE), youth elite athlete's (YE), and youth non-elite athlete's (YN). The differences in gut microbiome among different cohorts were compared, and their associations with dietary factors, physical characteristics, and athletic performance were investigated. The microbial diversities of elite athletes were higher than those of youth non-elite athletes. The taxonomical, functional, and phenotypic compositions of AE, YE and YN were significantly different. Additionally, three enterotypes with clear separation were identified in athlete's fecal samples, with majority of elite athletes stratified into enterotype 3. And this enterotype-dependent gut microbiome is strongly associated with athlete performances. These differences in athlete gut microbiota lead to establishment of a random forest classifier based on taxonomical and functional biomarkers, capable of differentiating elite athletes and non-elite athletes with high accuracy. Finally, these versatilities of athlete microbial communities of athletes were found to be associated with dietary factors and physical characteristics, which can in concert explain 41% of the variability in gut microbiome.

High intensity endurance training is associated with better quality of life, but not with improved cognitive functions in elderly marathon runners

Impairment of cognitive functions in advanced age leads to a reduced quality of life and impaired ability to perform everyday tasks. The positive impact of physical exercise on the quality of life and well-being, also at a later age, is well established. However, the effect of endurance exercises, including long distance running and cycling, on cognitive function and mental health within the elderly population has still to be elucidated. To this end, elderly active marathoners (N = 50) aged over 60 years and non-athlete controls (N = 49) were followed for four years. Cognitive function was assessed using the CERAD test battery. In addition, the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) was applied to assess self-reported physical, mental, and emotional health. Except for age, sex and education-corrected z-values of the test “Word list recall”, with marathon runners showing a decline compared to an improvement in controls (p < 0.05), there was no statistically significant difference in time trend between groups. In contrast, concerning self-reported health, scores in all eight domains of the SF-36 remained stable over time and, in nearly all of them, marathon runners showed higher self-reported health than controls. The results indicated that extensive endurance exercise is associated with improved subjective health but does not lead to better scores in cognitive performance tests in elderly persons.