Abstract
Purpose
Carbohydrate ingestion prior and during exercise attenuates exercise-induced interleukin-6. This investigation examined if an analogous effect was evident for interleukin-6 and hepcidin response when carbohydrates were ingested post-exercise.
Methods
In a crossover design, 11 well-trained endurance athletes completed two experimental trials. Participants completed an 8 × 3 min interval running session at 85 % vVO2peak followed by 5 h of monitored recovery. During this period, participants were provided with two 1.2 g kg−1 carbohydrate beverages at either an early feeding time (immediately post-exercise and 2 h post-exercise) or delayed feeding time (2 h post-exercise and 4 h post-exercise). Venous blood samples were collected pre-, immediately post-, 3 and 5 h post-exercise. Samples were analysed for Interleukin-6, serum iron, serum ferritin and hepcidin.
Results
Interleukin-6 was significantly elevated (p = 0.004) immediately post-exercise compared to baseline for both trials. Hepcidin levels were significantly elevated at 3 h post-exercise (p = 0.001) and 5 h post-exercise (p = 0.002) compared to baseline levels in both trials, with no significant difference between the two conditions and any time point. Serum iron was significantly increased from baseline to immediately post-exercise (p = 0.001) for both trials, with levels decreasing by 3 h (p = 0.025) and 5 h post-exercise (p = 0.001). Serum ferritin levels increased immediately post-exercise compared to baseline (p = 0.006) in both conditions.
Conclusions
The timing and ingestion of post-exercise carbohydrate ingestion do not appear to impact post-exercise interleukin-6 and hepcidin responses; this is likely a result of the interval running task inducing an inflammatory response and subsequent up-regulation of hepcidin.
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Abbreviations
- ANOVA:
-
Analysis of variance
- BLa:
-
Blood lactate
- BM:
-
Body mass
- CHO:
-
Carbohydrate
- CO2 :
-
Carbon dioxide
- CV:
-
Coefficient of variance
- DCHO:
-
Delayed carbohydrate feeding trial
- ECHO:
-
Early carbohydrate feeding trial
- Fpn:
-
Ferroportin
- GXT:
-
Graded exercise test
- Hb:
-
Haemoglobin
- Hct:
-
Haematocrit
- HR:
-
Heart rate
- Hp:
-
Haptoglobin
- IL-6:
-
Interleukin-6
- O2 :
-
Oxygen
- RE:
-
Reticuloendothelial system
- RPE:
-
Rating of perceived exertion
- SD:
-
Standard deviation
- TLCH:
-
Train low, compete high
- VO2peak :
-
Peak oxygen uptake
- vVO2peak :
-
Velocity at peak oxygen uptake
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The authors wish to acknowledge the participants who volunteered their time for this study.
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Communicated by Fabio Fischetti.
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Badenhorst, C.E., Dawson, B., Cox, G.R. et al. Timing of post-exercise carbohydrate ingestion: influence on IL-6 and hepcidin responses. Eur J Appl Physiol 115, 2215–2222 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-015-3202-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-015-3202-0