Testosterone and Dihydrotestosterone Changes in Male and Female Athletes Relative to Training Status

Title
Testosterone and Dihydrotestosterone Changes in Male and Female Athletes Relative to Training Status
Publication Date
2021-11
Author(s)
Cook, Christian J
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9677-0306
Email: ccook29@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:ccook29
Crewther, Blair T
Kilduff, Liam P
Agnew, Linda L
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2803-0995
Email: lagnew2@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:lagnew2
Fourie, Phillip
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4750-2257
Email: jfourie2@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:jfourie2
Serpell, Benjamin G
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Human Kinetics, Inc
Place of publication
United States of America
DOI
10.1123/ijspp.2020-0910
UNE publication id
une:1959.11/31162
Abstract

Purpose: To establish if training volume was associated with androgen baselines and androgen responsiveness to acute exercise. Methods: During a "high-volume" training phase, 28 cyclists (14 men and 14 women) undertook oxygen-uptake and maximal-work-capacity testing. Two days later, they completed a repeat-sprint protocol, which was repeated 3 weeks later during a "low-volume" phase. Blood and saliva samples were collected before and after (+5 and +60 min) the repeat-sprint protocol. Blood was assayed for total testosterone (TT), free testosterone (FT), and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and saliva, for testosterone and DHT. Results: Pretrial TT, FT, and DHT concentration was greater for males (P < .001, large effect size differences), and in both genders TT, DHT, and saliva for DHT was higher during high-volume loading (moderate to large effect size). Area-under-the-curve analysis revealed larger TT, FT, and DHT responses to the repeat-sprint protocol among females, and high-volume training was linked to larger TT, DHT, and saliva for DHT responses (moderate to large effect size). Baseline TT and FT correlated with oxygen uptake and work capacity in both genders (P < .05). Conclusion: DHT showed no acute performance correlation but was responsive to volume of training, particularly in females. This work informs on timelines and relationships of androgenic biomarkers in males and females across different training loads, adding to the complexity that should be considered in interpretation thereof. The authors speculate that testosterone may impact acute performance via behavioral mechanisms of motivation and attention; DHT, via training volume-induced androgenic promotion, may facilitate long-term adaptive changes, especially for females.

Link
Citation
International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 16(11), p. 1700-1706
ISSN
1555-0273
1555-0265
Pubmed ID
33952710
Start page
1700
End page
1706

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