Influence of athletic training on hematological parameters in runners: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Athletics is one of the purest of all sports, relying solely on the strengths of the human body rather than technological implements to improve performances. Alterations of the red blood cell (RBC) system are known to influence physical performance of an athlete: anemia has negative effect on physical exercise capacity, and an increase in RBC mass has been shown to enhance aerobic performance. Aims and Objective: To assess the influence of exercise on the RBC system and hemoglobin in runners of different duration of training and with age- and sex-matched controls. Materials and Methods: A Cross-sectional study was carried out in the Department of Physiology, JNMC, Belgaum, India. Study consisted of 31 runners (male and female) aged 16–25 years, divided into two groups depending on number of years of training. Group A (n=12) consisted of players with ≤3 years and group B (n=19) consisted of players with >3 years of training. Blood testing for red blood cell count and hemoglobin levels was carried out and results were obtained by a cell counter, automated cell counter (CBC-360). Results: Mean RBC count and hemoglobin levels were high in group B than group A runners, and they were high in runners than controls, and the differences were significant. Conclusion: Physical training and duration of exercise is of major importance in the adaptation of the blood cell system. Runners around the same age with similar anthropometric data submitted to same training type but longer duration of training tend to have better values than those with shorter duration of training, and also better values than the controls.