Balanced Hormones for Better Performance

The body undergoes several different changes during exercise. As much as non-runners may constantly tell their running friends how bad the sport is for the knees or heart, the fact is quite the opposite. Running produces an extraordinary amount of benefits to the body. From better heart health, to improved lung function and joint mobility, runners have an advantage towards a longer and more satisfying life. Many of the benefits and changes that occur during training are straight forward, while others are harder to understand. The effect on the endocrine system is one of the more confusing topics for runners. The endocrine system is responsible for the secretion and regulation of the body’s hormones, which play a significant role in performance improvement.

It is useful for athletes to understand the function of different hormones in order to train properly and safely for endurance events. In many cases, too much information on the benefits of certain hormones has caused some athletes to go to extremes trying to increase the amount in their bodies. From sleeping in high elevation to using performance-enhancing drugs—there are definitely many ways to ‘artificially’ raise hormone levels in the body, but with negative consequences, and possibly no beneficial outcomes. The key to getting the most benefit from the endocrine system for running performance is to keep hormonal balance. When it comes to training, the most important hormones to pay attention to are growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor, cortisol, and testosterone.

Growth Hormone

The pituitary gland in our brains naturally secretes growth hormone in bursts, usually following stress, exercise, or trauma. Although the levels of this hormone vary throughout the day, it is usually increased during the night. Since growth hormone is responsible for the development of bones and cartilage, it makes sense that more of it is produced during childhood and adolescent years as opposed to adult years. The role of growth hormone for runners, or any athlete for that matter, is to facilitate adaptation to exercise, which naturally occurs during rest and recovery periods. It stimulates protein production and helps the body utilize fat for energy, therefore helping runners last longer during endurance events. This is a commonly used performance-enhancing drug in the bodybuilding world as well, since it helps promote gains in size and strength.

Insulin-like Growth Factor

Insulin is produced by the pancreas and is responsible for storing glycogen and glucose in the body. During exercise insulin is suppressed to ensure that glycogen is used as fuel instead of for storage. Insulin-like growth factor has the same structure as insulin, except it is produced in the liver. This hormone works alongside growth hormone to help repair muscle damage caused by exercise. These factors make artificial supplementation attractive to athletes. Although this hormone is considered a banned substance, many are still using it despite the significantly negative side effects. Since insulin-like growth factor contributes to muscle growth and repair, it has been linked to cell growth as well, allowing tumors to survive and possibly grow, increasing the risk of death from cancer. Making sure to supply the body with adequate food, especially from animal proteins, is helpful in naturally maintaining a proper balance of this hormone.

Cortisol

You have probably heard of this hormone when reading or learning about stress and the “fight or flight” response. Cortisol is a hormone produced in the adrenal glands of the body. The natural response during any stressful situation is for these glands to secrete cortisol temporarily to keep our mental state more alert and our bodies ready for action. Hard training puts the body under a type of stress that creates a similar response. The problem with cortisol is the negative effects from its prolonged elevated levels, which is common during overtraining. Too much cortisol breaks down muscle tissue and stores more fat in cells. This eventually leads to a decrease in performance. One way to combat this imbalance is to include proper rest into training plans and avoid overtraining syndrome, which includes symptoms of exhaustion, poor performance, and irritability.

Testosterone

When it comes to running, testosterone is responsible for supporting the growth of muscles and aiding in recovery. Intense workouts, such as interval training or speed work can increase testosterone in the body leading to muscle mass gains and shorter recovery periods over time. Overtraining and prolonged running can decrease levels. Testosterone is another commonly used performance-enhancing drug by endurance athletes for the shorter recovery benefit and bodybuilders for the massive muscle gain benefit. Negative side effects of high testosterone levels are numerous and include behavioral changes, increased risk of heart attack, impotence, and acne. Balancing testosterone levels to benefit your running naturally is as easy as mixing up your running plan and adding in high intensity sessions.

These four hormones are just a few of the many that are involved in running performance. As with any stressful situation, including trauma, injury, and personal tribulations, running increases and/or decreases the levels of hormones in the body. This response is a natural one. Understanding the effects of hormonal imbalance is important in order to learn ways to manage. Artificially increasing hormone levels for the sake of performance improvement does give athletes an advantage, which is why these practices are banned from sports. It is always best to naturally balance out hormone levels, instead of exaggerating the levels of some, in order to avoid harmful side effects.

Sources

R. R. Kraemer, R. J. Durand, E. O. Acevedo, L. G. Johnson, G. R. Kraemer, E. P. Hebert, V. D. Castracane, Rigorous Running Increases Growth Hormone and Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I Without Altering Ghrelin, Journal, Dec 23, 2019.

K. Karkouliasa, I. Habeosa, N. Charokoposa, M. Tsiamitaa, A. Mazarakisb, A. Poulib, K. Spiropoulos, Hormonal responses to Marathon Running in Non-Elite Athletes, Journal, Dec 23, 2019.

C G Semple, J A Thomson, and G H Beastall, Endocrine Responses to Marathon Running, Journal, Dec 23, 2019.

Beta-alanine & Exercise Performance

Runners, like many other athletes, are constantly looking for safe ways to improve their running performance. Whether it be training in certain environmental conditions like in the heat or at altitude, or changing their fueling methods, there are many strategies one can use to get faster and last longer. The key to seriously improve performance is to understand where you are lacking in the first place. Is it too little muscular strength that is holding you back from running with good form? Or maybe you are actually pretty strong but endurance is what is weak. In many cases performance is hindered by poor nutrition, especially before and during exercise. For some runs it may be just fine to go out on an empty stomach but if you want to run hard and for a long period of time fueling the body efficiently is important.

Supplementation

It is common for athletes to supplement their diets with nutrients they may be missing out on in their regular meals. Runners supplement with electrolytes and other vitamins that are important for proper organ function and recovery from training. Protein powders are probably the most common supplement athletes consume, as it is essential for muscle repair and growth. The building blocks of protein, amino acids, are important in the diets of athletes since during hard exercise muscle fibers go through microscopic tears and require these essential amino acids for the repairing process. 

Beta-Alanine

One amino acid that is actually considered a non-essential amino acid, called beta-alanine, is a commonly used supplement in the sports world. The reason it is considered a non-essential amino acid is because it is not involved in protein synthesis, as are the others. Beta-alanine produces carnosine, a substance that is stored in the muscles and reduces lactic acid accumulation. This lactic acid buildup is produced in the muscles during exercise and is the reason why our bodies require recovery time in order to be ready for another session. If less lactic acid is building up in the first place than recovery time will be shortened. This is the main reason why beta-alanine is being used to improve performance.

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During lactic acid accumulation, excess hydrogen ions are produced in the muscles, causing a drop in pH levels—meaning they are now in a more acidic state. This acidity blocks glucose breakdown, which is normally what fuels our muscles, causing less muscle contraction, and eventually fatigue. The carnosine produced by beta-alanine is what maintains a normal pH level in the muscles during this process, therefore lowering the risk of fatigue. This benefit of increased time to exhaustion helps runners and other endurance athletes last longer. 

How Does Beta-alanine Help Marathoners?

Studies have shown that these benefits are more evident in short bouts of high intensity exercise lasting between one and several minutes. This means speed session consisting of 400m to mile repeats can be greatly improved with the use of beta-alanine supplementation. Although marathon running is commonly looked at as a low to moderate intensity exercise, the fact that you have to run at a fast goal pace for several hours requires specific training at significantly high intensity. This is where those short bouts of intervals come into play for marathon runners. Strengthening those fast twitch muscle fibers through speed sessions that can benefit from beta-alanine supplementation will lead to maintaining that goal pace you desire on race day.

Diet, Supplementation & Dosage

Most people who regularly eat animal protein get a sufficient amount of beta-alanine. Beef, pork, chicken, and fish are the main food sources of this amino acid. Regular servings of these proteins will contain between 50 to 250mg of beta-alanine. Most research advises to have between 2 and 5 grams per day to reap the benefits of carnosine production. Over the course of 4 weeks, carnosine concentration can increase by up to 40-60%. Combining the supplementation with a meal has been shown to enhance the production further. After one month of supplementing with this amount, the dosage is then lowered to half. Beta-alanine does not have to be taken at a certain time in order to gain the benefit. Some athletes combine it with their pre or post-workout drinks, but it can be included with any meal.

Supplementing with beta-alanine has been shown to be safe and effective at improving endurance and decreasing muscle fatigue during exercise. One common side effect that may be experienced is paraesthesia, which is a tingling sensation usually noticed in the face, hands, and neck. This effect is usually mild, short-lived and occurs during the first few times of taking the supplement. Carnosine production decreases by 15-20% from youth to adulthood, which suggests that beta-alanine supplementation may be even more beneficial for older athletes. As with any other supplement, it is advised to talk with your medical doctor before including anything new in your diet. Although beta-alanine is safe and shown to be effective, studies have not concluded its effects on athletes with any specific medical condition.

Sources

Ducker KJ, Dawson B, Wallman KE, Effect of Beta-Alanine Supplementation On 800-M Running Performance, Journal, Sept 26 2019.