Summary
Twenty-four unfit volunteers and twenty-three superfit athletes were subjected to a progressive intensity treadmill exercise to total exhaustion in order to study the plasma met-enkephalin response to exercise. Blood samples were collected before and 5 min post-exercise.
The basal met-enkephalin levels were significantly higher in the superfit individuals (180 fmol·ml−1) than in the unfit individuals (126 fmol·ml−1). Post-exercise the increase from basal levels of plasma met-enkephalin was significantly higher in the superfit athletes (180–278 fmol·ml−1) than in the unfit individuals (126–157 fmol·ml−1).
The magnitude of the met-enkephalin responses to exercise therefore appears to be dependent on the amount of work performed and the degree of previous physical training. Peripherally circulating opioid peptides may, therefore, possibly play a role in the body's adaptation to exercise training.
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De Sommers, K., Simpson, S.F., Loots, J.M. et al. Effect of exercise on met-enkephalin in unfit and superfit individuals. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 37, 399–400 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00558508
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00558508