Alcohol consumption and hormonal alterations related to muscle hypertrophy: a review

Detrimental effects of acute and chronic alcohol (ethanol) consumption on human physiology are well documented in the literature. These adversely influence neural, metabolic, cardiovascular, and thermoregulatory functions. However, the side effects of ethanol consumption on hormonal fluctuations and subsequent related skeletal muscle alterations have received less attention and as such are not entirely understood. The focus of this review is to identify the side effects of ethanol consumption on the major hormones related to muscle metabolism and clarify how the hormonal profiles are altered by such consumption.

Time trials versus time to exhaustion tests: Effects on critical 1 power, W′ and oxygen uptake kinetics

Purpose: To investigate single-day time-to-exhaustion (TTE) and time trial (TT) based laboratory tests values of critical power (CP), Wprime (W') and respective oxygen kinetics responses. Methods: Twelve cyclists performed a maximal ramp test followed by three TTE and three TT efforts interspersed by a 60-min recovery between efforts. Oxygen uptake was measured during all trials. The mean response time (MRT) was calculated as a description of the overall V ̇O2 kinetic response from the onset to 2 min of exercise. Results: TTE determined CP was 279 ± 52W and TT determined CP was 276 ± 50W (P = 0.237). Values of W were 14.3 ± 3.4 kJ (TTE W') and 16.5± 4.2 kJ (TT W') (P = 0.028). Whilst a high…

The effects of physical training without equipment on pain perception and balance in the elderly: A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Research supports a link between exercise and falls prevention in the older population. OBJECTIVES: Our aims were to evaluate pain perception and balance skills in a group of elderly subjects and to examine the consequences of a standardized equipment-free exercise program intervention on these variables. The study utilized a randomized controlled trial method. METHODS: 92 subjects were recruited from a rural Sicilian village (Resuttano, Sicily, Italy). Subjects were randomly split into two groups, an experimental group (EG; n = 49) and a control group (CG; n = 43). Qualified fitness instructors delivered the standardized physical exercise program for the EG whilst the CG did no…

Erratum to “Protein supplement consumption is linked to time spent exercising and high-protein content foods: A multicentric observational study” [Heliyon 5 (4) (April 2019) e01508]

Comparison of inter-trial recovery times for the determination of critical power and W' in cycling

Critical Power (CP) and W’ are often determined using multi-day testing protocols. To investigate this cumbersome testing method, the purpose of this study was to compare the differences between the conventional use of a 24-h inter-trial recovery time with those of 3 h and 30 min for the determination of CP and W’. Methods: 9 moderately trained cyclists performed an incremental test to exhaustion to establish the power output associated with the maximum oxygen uptake (p V O2max), and 3 protocols requiring time-to-exhaustion trials at a constant work-rate performed at 80%, 100% and 105% of p VO2max. Design: Protocol A utilised 24-h inter-trial recovery (CP24/W’24), protocol B utilised 3-h in…

Relationship Between the Critical Power Test and a 20-min Functional Threshold Power Test in Cycling.

To investigate the agreement between critical power (CP) and functional threshold power (FTP), 17 trained cyclists and triathletes (mean ± SD: age 31 ± 9 years, body mass 80 ± 10 kg, maximal aerobic power 350 ± 56 W, peak oxygen consumption 51 ± 10 mL⋅min–1⋅kg–1) performed a maximal incremental ramp test, a single-visit CP test and a 20-min time trial (TT) test in randomized order on three different days. CP was determined using a time-trial (TT) protocol of three durations (12, 7, and 3 min) interspersed by 30 min passive rest. FTP was calculated as 95% of 20-min mean power achieved during the TT. Differences between means were examined using magnitude-based inferences and a paired-samples…

Retraction: Alcohol consumption and hormonal alterations related to muscle hypertrophy: a review

Detrimental effects of acute and chronic alcohol (ethanol) consumption on human physiology are well documented in the literature. These adversely influence neural, metabolic, cardiovascular, and thermoregulatory functions. However, the side effects of ethanol consumption on hormonal fluctuations and subsequent related skeletal muscle alterations have received less attention and as such are not entirely understood. The focus of this review is to identify the side effects of ethanol consumption on the major hormones related to muscle metabolism and clarify how the hormonal profiles are altered by such consumption.

A Review of Countermovement and Squat Jump Testing Methods in the Context of Public Health Examination in Adolescence: Reliability and Feasibility of Current Testing Procedures.

Background In the context of a public health physical fitness (PF) examination in adolescence, a countermovement jump (CMJ) and a squat jump (SJ) are two vertical jump (VJ) tests widely used to evaluate lower limb muscle strength and power, respectively. The main criticism of both the CMJ and SJ test is the lack of test standardization. Therefore, the objectives of this review are: (a) to gather information about both jumps; (b) to investigate whether it is possible to identify common procedures referred to in the CMJ and SJ technical execution, and (c) to design standard operating procedures (SOPs) to promote CMJ and SJ standardization in an adolescent population aged 12-18 years. Methods …

Protein supplement consumption is linked to time spent exercising and high-protein content foods: A multicentric observational study

The main aim of this study is to analyze if protein supplement consumption and food patterns vary across three geographical regions and secondly to identify possible factors that increase the likelihood of ingesting protein supplements.A total of 916 responses from gym users of 3 countries (Italy, Turkey and UK) were entered for analysis. Questions were related to supplement consumption (protein and other supplements), food intake and training habits. A descriptive analysis, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and logistic regression were performed.No differences were found across groups regarding: prevalence of protein supplement consumption, typology of other ingested supplement and food intake…

The Effects of Different High-Protein Low-Carbohydrates Proprietary Foods on Blood Sugar in Healthy Subjects.

The aim of this study was to analyze the effects on blood sugar concentrations through the calculation of the glycemic score (GS) of 10 different high-protein low-carbohydrates (CHOs) proprietary foods that are commonly used as meals during very low-CHO ketogenic diets or during low-CHO diets. Fourteen healthy females were tested for their glycemic response curve elicited by 1000 kJ of glucose three times within a 3-week period (one test each week) compared with one of 10 test foods once on separate days twice a week. After determining the GS of each food in each individual, the mean GS of each test food was calculated. All test foods, compared with glucose, produced a significantly lower g…