Changes of Anaerobic Power and Lactate Concentration following Intense Glycolytic Efforts in Elite and Sub-Elite 400-meter Sprinters.

400-m races are based on anaerobic energy metabolism, they induce significant muscle fatigue, muscle fiber damage, and high blood lactate (LA) concentration. Despite extensive research on sprint training, our understanding of the training process that leads to world-class sprint performance is rather limited. This study aimed to determine differences in LA concentration and anaerobic power using jumping tests after an intense glycolytic effort in a group of elite and sub-elite 400-m runners. One hundred thirty male runners were divided into two groups: elite (n = 66, body mass = 73.4 ± 7.8 kg, body height = 182.1 ± 6.2 cm, age = 20.8 ± 4.0 y) running the 400-m dash below 50 s and sub-elite (n = 64, body mass = 72.0 ± 7.1 kg, body height = 182.1 ± 5.2 cm, age = 20.8 ± 4.0 y) with a 400-m personal best above 50 s. The power of the countermovement and the sequential squat jumps was measured in two sets after a warm-up, followed by two intermittent 30-s Wingate tests. LA concentration was measured eight times. It was observed that elite athletes achieved significantly higher power in both types of jumps. The maximum post-exercise LA concentration was significantly lower in the sub-elite group after the 3rd, the 6th, the 9th, and the 20th min after the cessation of two Wingate tests (p < 0.001). The rate of LA accumulation after exercise and the rate of LA utilization did not differ between the groups. It can be concluded that elite and non-elite runners differ in higher LA production but not in LA utilization. Anaerobic power and LA concentration seem to differentiate between 400 elite and sub-elite performance.

Effects of soy milk ingestion immediately after resistance training on muscular-related biomarkers in older men: a randomized controlled trial.

We evaluated the effects of soy milk ingestion on changes in body composition, strength, power, and muscular-related biomarkers following 12 weeks of resistance training in older men. Thirty healthy older men (age = 65.63 ± 3.16 years; body mass = 62.63 ± 3.86 kg) were randomly assigned to one of two groups: soy milk + resistance training (SR) or placebo + resistance training (PR). Participants in the SR group received 240 ml of vanilla-flavoured non-dairy soy milk immediately after every training session and at the same time on non-training days. Differences in muscle mass, upper limb body strength (UBS), lower limb aerobic power (LAP), activin A, and GDF15 were significantly greater in the SR group vs. the PR group (P < 0.05). Both intervention groups experienced a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in body mass (PR = -3.9 kg; SR = -3.2 kg), body fat % (PR = -0.8%; SR = -1.2%), activin A (PR = -5.1 pg/ml; SR = -12.8 pg/ml), GDF15 (PR = -8.1 pg/ml; SR = -14.7 pg/ml), TGFß1 (PR = -0.43 pg/ml; SR = -0.41 pg/ml), and increase in muscle mass (PR = 0.81 kg; SR = 2.5 kg), UBS (PR = 3.4 kg; SR = 6.7 kg), lower limb body strength (PR = 2.8 kg; SR = 5.2 kg), upper limb aerobic power (PR = 34.3 W; SR = 38.6 W), LAP (PR = 23.2 W; SR = 45.2 W), BDNF (PR = 8.3 ng/ml; SR = 12.7 ng/ml), and irisin (PR = 1.5 ng/ml; SR = 2.9 ng/ml) compared to baseline. The ingestion of soy milk during 12 weeks of resistance training augmented lean mass, strength, and power, and altered serum concentrations of skeletal muscle regulatory markers in older men.

Increased LC PUFA Levels in the Serum of Pregnant Women and Their Children as a Result of Dietary Supplementation with 'Omega' Fatty Acids.

Essential fatty acids (EFA) and long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC PUFA) are considered the most valuable bioactive fatty acids (FA) of the greatest importance for the mother's and child's health (e.g., placentation process, labor course, development of the central nervous system, visual acuity, cognitive functions), which results in dietary recommendations concerning EFA and LC PUFA intake in the diet of pregnant women. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the frequency of different food products consumption and 'omega' dietary supplements usage in groups of pregnant women. We also measured n-3 and n-6 FA content in serum samples of pregnant women and their children with the GC-FID technique, estimated the efficacy of applied supplementation, and compared the usefulness of different dietary supplements dedicated for pregnant women. 'Omega' dietary supplements effectively increased LC PUFA in the maternal blood (EPA, p = 0.0379; DHA p < 0.0001; n-3 PUFA, p < 0.0001), which penetrated the umbilical cord (EPA, p = 0.0131; DHA, p = 0.0288). If fish and seafood consumption is not enough, dietary supplements of the highest quality may provide sufficient LC PUFA without apprehension of MetHg contamination. 'Omega' dietary supplementation seems the most efficient way of providing an optimal supply of LC PUFA for the developing child from the earliest stages of development, which will bring advantages in the child's future life and its health.

Are COL22A1 Gene Polymorphisms rs11784270 and rs6577958 Associated with Susceptibility to a Non-Contact Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury in Polish Athletes?

Understanding the risk factors and etiology of ACL ruptures (anterior cruciate ligament) is crucial due to the injury's high occurrence, significant financial cost to the healthcare sector, and clinical consequences. In this study, we investigated the hypothesis that rs11784270 A/C and rs6577958 C/T SNPs (single gene polymorphism) within COL22A1 are associated with ACL ruptures (ACLR) in Polish soccer players. Methods: 228 athletes with ACLR (157 male, age 26 ± 4, 71 female, age 26 ± 6) and 202 control athletes (117 male, age 26 ± 6, 85 female, age 29 ± 2) engaged in the study. The buccal cell swabs were genotyped using TaqMan® pre-designed SNP genotyping assays, following the manufacturer's recommendations. The R program and SNPassoc package were used to determine the genotype and allele frequency distributions under the various inheritance models (co-dominant, dominant, recessive, and over-dominant). Further, p-values of <0.05 were considered statistically significant. We found no association between the analyzed polymorphisms and the risk of non-contact ACL ruptures in any of the studied models. Although the genetic variants investigated in this study were not associated with the risk of non-contact ACL ruptures, we assumed that the COL22A1 gene remains a candidate for further investigations in musculoskeletal injuries.