Influence of a 6-month physical training program on serum and urinary concentrations of trace metals in middle distance elite runners

Abstract

Background

The aim of this survey was to determine the effects of an aerobic physical training program of six months duration on the serum and urinary concentrations of essential trace elements among middle distance runners and untrained, non-sportsmen participants.

Methods

24 well-trained, middle-distance (1500 and 5000 m), aerobic male runners (AG) were recruited at the beginning of their training season and 26 untrained males formed the control group (CG). All participants were from the same region of Spain, and all of them had been living in this area for at least two years. Serum and urine of samples of Cobalt (Co), Copper (Cu), Manganese (Mn), Molybdenum (Mo), Selenium (Se), Vanadium (V) and Zinc (Zn) were obtained at the beginning of the training season, and six months later, from all participants. All samples were analyzed with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).

Results

Two-way ANOVA showed significant differences relative to group effect in serum concentrations of Co, Cu, Mn, Mo, Se and Zn. Attending to time effect, there were differences in Mn (p = 0.003) and Zn (p = 0.001). The group x time interaction revealed differences only in the case of Mn (p = 0.04). In urine, significant differences between group were obtained in Co, Cu, Mn, Se and V. Time effect showed changes in Co, Cy, Mo and Se. Finally, the group and time interaction revealed significant differences in urinary Cu (p = 0.001), Mn (p = 0.01) and Se (p = 0.001).

Conclusions

A six-month aerobic training program for well-trained athletes induced modifications in the body values of several minerals, a fact which may reflect adaptive responses to physical exercise. The obtained data could be interesting for physicians or coaches in order to consider specific modifications in sportsmen’s diets as well as to determine specific nutritional supplementation strategies.

Keywords:

• Minerals
• Essential trace elements
• Blood
• Urine
• Exercise
• Training

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the collaboration of SAIUex.

The research was conducted in the laboratory of Physiology of the School of Sport Sciences (University of Extremadura).

Authors’ contributions

MM designed the study; data were collected and analyzed by MM, GB, F-JG and JA; DM, M-CR, and IB undertook data interpretation and manuscript preparation. All authors approved the final version of the paper.

Funding

No funding was received.

Availability of data and materials

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

This research was carried out under the Helsinki Declaration ethic guidelines, updated at the World Medical Assembly in Seoul in 2008, for research with human subjects. All the participants were informed about the purpose of the study and gave their voluntary signed informed consent.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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