RESUMEN
High-level football (soccer) players face intense physical demands that result in acute and residual fatigue, impairing their physical performance in subsequent matches. Further, top-class players are frequently exposed to match-congested periods where sufficient recovery times are not achievable. To evaluate training and recovery strategies, the monitoring of players' recovery profiles is crucial. Along with performance and neuro-mechanical impairments, match-induced fatigue causes metabolic disturbances denoted by changes in chemical analytes that can be quantified in different body fluids such as blood, saliva, and urine, thus acting as biomarkers. The monitoring of these molecules might supplement performance, neuromuscular and cognitive measurements to guide coaches and trainers during the recovery period. The present narrative review aims to comprehensively review the scientific literature on biomarkers of post-match recovery in semi-professional and professional football players as well as provide an outlook on the role that metabolomic studies might play in this field of research. Overall, no single gold-standard biomarker of match-induced fatigue exists, and a range of metabolites are available to assess different aspects of post-match recovery. The use of biomarker panels might be suitable to simultaneously monitoring these broad physiological processes, yet further research on fluctuations of different analytes throughout post-match recovery is warranted. Although important efforts have been made to address the high interindividual heterogeneity of available markers, limitations inherent to these markers might compromise the information they provide to guide recovery protocols. Further research on metabolomics might benefit from evaluating the long-term recovery period from a high-level football match to shed light upon new biomarkers of post-match recovery.
RESUMEN
La incidencia y los factores de riesgo de mal pronóstico en pacientes con COVID son bien conocidos, así como las medidas de protección en poblaciones de alto riesgo. En cambio, el comportamiento epidemiológico y clínico de esta enfermedad en la población de deportistas de élite que son el paradigma de la buena salud, es poco conocido. Los datos sobre COVID en deportistas son escasos y se han centrado preferentemente en las consecuencias sobre el rendimiento deportivo de las medidas de confinamiento y en las consecuencias fisiopatológicas de los deportistas infectados.El Real Madrid es una gran institución deportiva de élite con instalaciones en la ciudad de Madrid donde entrenan diariamente 600 atletas. La incidencia de COVID durante un periodo de estudio de 671 días de observación en deportistas profesionales o amateurs que trabajan en la institución ha sido de 0,74 por cada 1.000 días de exposición. La enfermedad ha sido asintomática u oligosintomática en todos los atletas y no ha requerido ningún ingreso hospitalario.Los equipos no tuvieron que suspender ninguno de sus compromisos deportivos por COVID durante el periodo de estudio y no hubo evidencia de brotes de transmisión interna entre miembros de los diferentes equipos. (AU)
The incidence and risk factors for poor outcome in patients with COVID are well known, as are the protective measures in high-risk populations. In contrast, the epidemiological and clinical behavior of this disease in the population of elite athletes who are the paradigm of good health is poorly understood. Data on COVID in athletes are scarce and have focused preferentially on the consequences on sports performance of confinement measures and on the pathophysiological risks of infected athletes.Real Madrid is a large elite sports institution with facilities in the City of Madrid where 600 athletes train daily. The incidence of COVID during a study period of 671 days of observation in athletes, professional or amateur, working in the institution has been 0,74 per 1,000 days of exposure. The disease has been asymptomatic or oligosymptomatic in all athletes and did not require any hospital admissions.The different teams did not have to suspend any of its sportive commitments for COVID during the study period and there was no evidence of outbreaks of internal transmission between members of the different teams. (AU)
Asunto(s)
Humanos , Infecciones por Coronavirus/epidemiología , Pandemias/prevención & control , Deportes , Atletas , Factores de RiesgoRESUMEN
Hypohydration can impair aerobic performance and deteriorate cognitive function during exercise. To minimize hypohydration, athletes are recommended to commence exercise at least euhydrated, ingest fluids containing sodium during long-duration and/or high-intensity exercise to prevent body mass loss over 2% and maintain elevated plasma osmolality, and rapidly restore and retain fluid and electrolyte homeostasis before a second exercise session. To achieve these goals, the compositions of the fluids consumed are key; however, it remains unclear what can be considered an optimal formulation for a hydration beverage in different settings. While carbohydrate-electrolyte solutions such as sports drinks have been extensively explored as a source of carbohydrates to meet fuel demands during intense and long-duration exercise, these formulas might not be ideal in situations where fluid and electrolyte balance is impaired, such as practicing exercise in the heat. Alternately, hypotonic compositions consisting of moderate to high levels of electrolytes (i.e., ≥45 mmol/L), mainly sodium, combined with low amounts of carbohydrates (i.e., <6%) might be useful to accelerate intestinal water absorption, maintain plasma volume and osmolality during exercise, and improve fluid retention during recovery. Future studies should compare hypotonic formulas and sports drinks in different exercise settings, evaluating different levels of sodium and/or other electrolytes, blends of carbohydrates, and novel ingredients for addressing hydration and rehydration before, during, and after exercise.
