The effects of wearing face masks on the perception and mood of male healthy male adults during treadmill running: A pilot study.

In the past few years, the face mask has been recommended for the prevention of exposing others to COVID-19. Wearing a face mask may have the potential to increase dyspnea and discomfort during exercise; however, controversy exists on whether wearing face masks during exercise affects exercise performance, perception, and mood in runners. We investigated the physiological and perceptual responses of healthy male adults who had experienced long-distance running while exercising at different intensities. Nine healthy young adults who were long-distance runners wearing surgical face mask conducted an incremental treadmill protocol. The protocol was three 6-min stages (20%, 40%, and 60% of maximal heart rate, respectively). The rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and the feeling scale (FS) were measured. RPE was higher in mask condition than in unmask condition (No mask vs. Face mask, light; 8.22 vs. 8.78, p = 0.615, middle; 10.00 vs. 10.78, p = 0.345, high; 12.33 vs. 13.67, p = 0.044.), while FS was not different between conditions. The present study shows that wearing a mask may increase rating of perceived exertion and discomfort when the exercise intensity exceeds a certain threshold in healthy male adults who have experienced long-distance running.

Insulin resistance and the adiponectin/leptin ratio as a surrogate measure of insulin resistance in Japanese collegiate baseball players.

BACKGROUND: No study has previously investigated insulin resistance in collegiate baseball players. The purposes of this study were to examine: 1) the insulin resistance; and 2) the usefulness of the adiponectin/leptin (A/L) ratio compared with the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) for assessing insulin resistance in collegiate baseball players. METHODS: Twenty collegiate baseball players with abdominal obesity (AO group) defined by a waist circumference (WC) ≥85 cm, 65 lean baseball players with a WC<85 cm (L group), and 20 controls who were sedentary for at least 1 year (C group) were compared. The Body Mass Index, WC, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, apolipoprotein B, insulin, leptin, adiponectin, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were measured. RESULTS: The AO group had a significantly higher insulin level, HOMA-IR, and leptin level, and lower A/L ratio than the L and C groups. The AO group had a significantly higher prevalence of insulin resistance (50%) than the L (14%) group. The A/L ratio was significantly negatively correlated with body weight, Body Mass Index, WC, triglycerides, triglycerides/HDL-C ratio, apolipoprotein B, hs-CRP, insulin, HOMA-IR, and leptin, and positively correlated with HDL-C, whereas HOMA-IR was significantly positively correlated with body weight, Body Mass Index, WC, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, fasting plasma glucose, and insulin, and negatively correlated with adiponectin and the A/L ratio. In the forward stepwise multiple regression analysis, WC, triglycerides, and hs-CRP were the significant determinants for the A/L ratio, whereas diastolic blood pressure and WC were the significant determinants for HOMA-IR. This model explained 53.7% of the variance in the A/L ratio and 13.6% of the variance in HOMA-IR. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggested that the baseball players with abdominal obesity had a significantly higher prevalence of insulin resistance than the lean baseball group. The A/L ratio may be more useful than HOMA-IR to accurately assess insulin resistance in male collegiate baseball players.

Nutrient intake, serum lipids and iron status of colligiate rugby players.

BACKGROUND: There are two main playing positions in rugby (backs and forwards), which demonstrate different exercise patterns, roles, and physical characteristics. The purpose of this study was: 1) to collect baseline data on nutrient intake in order to advise the athletes about nutrition practices that might enhance performance, and 2) to compare serum lipids, lipoproteins, apolipoproteins (apo), lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) activity, and iron status of forwards and backs. METHODS: The sporting group was divided into 18 forwards and 16 backs and were compared with 26 sedentary controls. Dietary information was obtained with a food frequency questionnaire. RESULTS: There were significant differences among the three groups. The forwards had the highest body weight, body mass index, percentage of body fat (calculated by sum of four skinfold thicknesses), as well as the highest lean body mass, followed by the backs and the control group. The mean carbohydrate intake was marginal and protein intake was lower than the respective recommended targets in all three groups. The mean intakes of calcium, magnesium, and vitamins A, B1, B2, and C were lower than the respective Japanese recommended dietary allowances or adequate dietary intakes for the rugby players. The forwards had significantly lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and HDL2-C than the backs and had significantly higher apo B and LCAT activity than the controls. The backs showed significantly higher HDL-C, HDL3-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and apo A-I, and LCAT activity than the controls. Four forwards (22%), five backs (31%), and three controls (12%) had hemolysis. None of the rugby players had anemia or iron depletion. CONCLUSION: The findings of our study indicate that as the athletes increased their carbohydrate and protein intake, their performance and lean body mass increased. Further, to increase mineral and vitamin intakes, we recommended athletes increase their consumption of green and other vegetables, milk and dairy products, and fruits. The forwards showed more atherogenic lipid profiles than the backs, whereas the backs showed not only anti-atherogenic lipid profile, but also showed more atherogenic lipid profile relative to the control group. Additionally, our study showed none of the rugby players experienced anemia and/or iron depletion.