Exercise, Immune Status And Stress Markers In College Students And College Student Athletes

Abstract

The combination of chronic intense exercise, the specific stressors associated with college life and the special participation in competitive sports may lead to a decrease in the immune system and thus predispose college students and college student-athletes to an increased risk of infections. PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to determine the degree of alteration in immune status in college students and college student athletes. METHODS A total of twenty-seven subjects were recruited and began the study protocol. Due to attrition and non-compliance nine female college students, four female college student-athletes and two non-student controls completed the entire study. Volunteers provided resting, fasted, early morning weekly saliva and monthly blood samples over the course of a 14 week basketball season. Blood samples were analyzed for serum creatine kinase (CK) while saliva samples were analyzed for immunoglobulin A (IgA) and cortisol. Three 3-day dietary recalled were completed during the first, seventh and last week of the study. Physical activity, illness and perceived stress questionnaires were completed weekly. RESULTS Despite more frequent and intense physical activity in the student-athlete group area under the curve (AUC) analyses revealed that there were no significant differences (p>0.05) between groups for CK and IgA. AUC analysis revealed that the college student group had significantly greater (P<0.05) between groups for perceived stress. The student athlete group experienced a significantly greater (P<0.05) incidence in illnesses vs. the student and control group only during week 2, which corresponded with an increased volume of training. CONCLUSIONS The student group experienced a significant stress response and a suppression of the immune system that was observed to a much lesser extent in the student-athlete group and not in the control group. The attenuation of the hormonal stress response in the student-athlete group vs. student group indicates that participation in regular exercise can ameliorate the stress response experienced by typical college students.