Abstract
BackgroundRunning economy and performance in middle distance running depend on several physiological factors, which include anthropometric variables, functional characteristics, training volume and intensity. Since little information is available about hematological predictors of middle distance running time, we investigated whether some hematological parameters may be associated with middle distance running performance in a large sample of recreational runners.MethodsThe study population consisted in 43 amateur runners (15 females, 28 males; median age 47 years), who successfully concluded a 21.1 km half-marathon at 75–85% of their maximal aerobic power (VO2max). Whole blood was collected 10 min before the run started and immediately thereafter, and hematological testing was completed within 2 hours after sample collection.ResultsThe values of lymphocytes and eosinophils exhibited a significant decrease compared to pre-run values, whereas those of mean corpuscular volume (MCV), platelets, mean platelet volume (MPV), white blood cells (WBCs), neutrophils and monocytes were significantly increased after the run. In univariate analysis, significant associations with running time were found for pre-run values of hematocrit, hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), red blood cell distribution width (RDW), MPV, reticulocyte hemoglobin concentration (RetCHR), and post-run values of MCH, RDW, MPV, monocytes and RetCHR. In multivariate analysis, in which running time was entered as dependent variable whereas age, sex, blood lactate, body mass index, VO2max, mean training regimen and the hematological parameters significantly associated with running performance in univariate analysis were entered as independent variables, only MPV values before and after the trial remained significantly associated with running time. After adjustment for platelet count, the MPV value before the run (p = 0.042), but not thereafter (p = 0.247), remained significantly associated with running performance.ConclusionThe significant association between baseline MPV and running time suggest that hyperactive platelets may exert some pleiotropic effects on endurance performance.
Highlights
According to a recent on-line survey, recreational running is the most popular leisure sport activity, followed by lifting weights, biking, hiking and other outdoor activities [1]
The whole blood samples were immediately transported to the local laboratory under controlled conditions of temperature and humidity, where a complete blood cell count (CBC) was performed on Advia 2120 (Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, Tarrytown NY, USA), which included measurement of hematocrit, hemoglobin, red blood cell (RBC) count, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), RBC distribution width (RDW), platelet count, mean platelet volume (MPV), white blood cell (WBC) count and differential, reticulocyte count and reticulocyte hemoglobin concentration (RetCHR)
The values of lymphocytes and eosinophils exhibited a significant decrease compared to pre-run values, whereas those of MCV, platelets, MPV, WBC, neutrophils and monocytes were found to be significantly increased after the run
Summary
According to a recent on-line survey, recreational running is the most popular leisure sport activity, followed by lifting weights, biking, hiking and other outdoor activities [1]. It is noteworthy that the practice of habitual running has been associated with a significantly reduced risk of obesity, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, osteoporosis, depression and several other chronic conditions, resulting in an overall 20% to 40% lower risk of mortality [3]. Both running economy and overall performance in middle distance running depend on a number of physiological factors, which are partially different from those required for short and long distance running [4,5]. Since little information is available about hematological predictors of middle distance running time, we investigated whether some hematological parameters may be associated with middle distance running performance in a large sample of recreational runners
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