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.

Salt Tablets for Effective Hydration

Hydration is a popularly researched topic on the internet for runners and other endurance athletes. When you are training for a long distance race, proper hydration will be a key factor in improving performance. While most people, especially newbies in the running and cycling world, believe hydration only has to do with water, this is far from correct. You will find that sodium plays a crucial role in being properly hydrated before, during, and after distance training. This is due to the fact that our bodies eliminate a large amount of sodium during sweating. When there is an excessive loss of sodium, it negatively affects the body.

Sodium not only plays a role in maintaining proper fluid balance throughout the body, but it also is an important component in the nerves that control our muscles. Not having enough sodium in the body will decrease nerve signals and reduce the firing of muscles needed during activity. This is why it is emphasized to include electrolyte-enhanced sports drinks along with water while training for long periods of time, especially in the heat, where our bodies sweat more. Some drinks primarily include high amounts of sodium, while others will have additional minerals that aid in hydration such as magnesium and potassium. Most running events will provide Gatorade at aid stations, and it is highly recommended to take advantage of this.

How Much Sodium is Actually Lost?

The amount of sodium lost during exercise will vary from person to person. If you are a heavy sweater you will likely lose more sodium than a light sweater. Training in excessive heat or humidity will also cause more sweating and sodium loss, but that will depend on how acclimated your body is to training in that type of weather. The average amount of sodium lost is around 500mg/lb of sweat, but again, this will vary with the factors just mentioned. Runners can lose around two pounds of fluid per hour of training, which means a loss of 1000mg of sodium. This gives a pretty good idea of how much is needed to replenish during training and races. Once an athlete reaches a loss of 3-5% of their body weight in sweat, dehydration and hyponatremia symptoms may develop which will decrease athletic performance. It is a good idea to consider replenishment options other than plain water during these circumstances, such as the readily available salt tablets on the market.

Salt Tablets: Not Just Sodium

Most salt tablets contain more than just sodium. Magnesium, potassium, and chloride are also electrolytes that we lose when we sweat and are minerals that work with sodium to balance out the fluid inside and outside of the cells in the body. This is why it is important to look for salt tablets that contain these electrolytes as well. Many ultra runners and triathletes swear by these supplements and have had positive outcomes in race performance.

Reaching to a point of hyponatremia, which is a low sodium level in the blood, leads to nausea, lightheadedness, and muscle cramps, all which can reduce strength and energy during performance. Many athletes reach for water when they begin noticing these side effects, but this will only dilute the sodium further creating even worse problems. Severe states of hyponatremia may cause seizures and death in some cases, so it is crucial to understand and consider sodium supplementation. Although sports drinks are quite effective at replenishing electrolyte loss, other minerals are needed to enhance the role of sodium during performance.

How Much Sodium Do Runners Really Need?

Studies have shown that preloading of sodium when exercising in the heat may slow the rise of core body temperature, but this does not mean athletes should overindulge in salty foods on a daily basis. As most health information emphasizes the negative impact of a high sodium diet has on the body, athletes should practice safe consumption of salt regardless of the sodium needed during excessive exercise. A regular diet without the inclusion of added salt will easily meet the daily recommended allowance for sodium which is 2300mg. Although running a marathon for 4 hours can cause a loss of around 4000mg of sodium, incorporating a salt tablet prior to starting and replenishing throughout the race is enough to keep the fluid balance.

Although runners can get a good amount of sodium by eating a salty meal or snack before a race or long run, it is difficult to consume and track the total amount of sodium needed. This method will also involve the ingestion of extra calories and other nutrients that are unnecessary at the time. The reason salt tablets may be a better choice is that they have a more concentrated amount of sodium than foods or even the sports drinks available at aid stations. If those sports drinks had a higher concentration of sodium, it would create an excessively salty flavor, which is not appealing to most people. Therefore the lower sodium levels in the few sips of Gatorade taken at each aid station would not be sufficient enough, especially in an extremely hot and humid race. Taking salt tablets is a quicker method to supply the body with the electrolyte levels it needs.

Sources

B. Sanders, T.D. Noakes & S.C. Dennis, Sodium Replacement and Fluid Shifts During Prolonged Exercise in Humans, Journal, Aug 6, 2019

Dale B. Speedy; John M. D. Thompson; Ian Rodgers; Malcolm Collins; Karen Sharwood, Journal, Aug 6, 2019

Stacy T. Sims, Nancy J. Rehrer, Melanie L. Bell, and James D. Cotter, Preexercise Sodium Loading Aids Fluid Balance and Endurance for Women Exercising in the Heat, Journal, Aug 6, 2019