Author(s): MCCULLOUGH, D., MCCULLOUGH D., FERENTINOS P., HOMER N. Z. M., BASIUKAJĆ A., WOODS D. R., GIFFORD R. M. AND ISPOGLOU T. , Institution: LEEDS BECKETT UNIVERSITY, Country: UNITED KINGDOM, Abstract-ID: 2023

INTRODUCTION:
Exercise disrupts hormonal balance, driving distinct adaptations enhancing exercise performance and mitigating against range of health risks (1). Exercise perturbs all major steroid hormone classes, influencing adaptive responses, energy utilisation, and recovery (2). However, inconsistent findings on the effects of exercise-induced hormonal responses exist due to reliance on limited immunoassays (3, 4). Therefore, this study aimed to simultaneously profile steroid hormones via LC-MS/MS in response to three distinct exercise modalities.
METHODS:
Ten healthy active adult (24.6 ± 2.1 years old) males randomly completed high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE; >80% VO2max), moderate intensity continuous exercise (MICE; <65% VO2max) and whole-body resistance exercise (RE; 3 sets×10 reps at 70% 1RM with 90 s rest). Blood samples were collected pre-, 10 min post-, and 2 h post-exercise; glucose and lactate were measured in whole blood, and 16 plasma hormones by LC–MS/MS. All data were analysed by 2-way ANOVA or non-parametric equivalent.
RESULTS:
DHEA and androstenedione rose after MICE and HIIE (P<0.01) and RE (P<0.05) but fell below rest by 2 h. Estrone increased 2 h post-RE vs post-exercise (P<0.01) and 2 h post-HIIE vs rest (P<0.01). Only HIIE elevated cortisol (P<0.001) and cortisone (P<0.01) post-exercise, while cortisol fell below rest at 2 h across all modalities (P<0.001). HIIE also raised corticosterone (P<0.001), exceeding MICE (P<0.01); only MICE showed sub-resting corticosterone at 2 h (P<0.01). All exercise modalities increased aldosterone (P<0.01), with greater responses in MICE and HIIE than RE. At 2 h, all protocols elevated the testosterone:cortisol ratio (P<0.05). RE and HIIE decreased testosterone:17β-estradiol and androgens:estrogens and increased estrogens:progesterone ratios (P<0.05).
CONCLUSION:
While all exercise modalities activated early anabolic precursors only RE and HIIE increased estrogenic signalling, likely reflecting their shared anaerobic demand. These data indicate that exercise intensity, rather than duration or type, orchestrate distinct steroid signatures, providing a mechanistic foundation for manipulating hormonal environments to optimise recovery, performance, and health. Future studies should explore how circulating hormones act on target tissues to drive metabolic regulation and adaptations.
References
1. Egan B, Sharples AP. Molecular responses to acute exercise and their relevance for adaptations in skeletal muscle to exercise training. Physiol Rev. 2023;103(3):2057-170.
2. Hackney AC, Lane AR. Exercise and the regulation of endocrine hormones. Prog Mol Biol Transl Sci. 2015; 135:293-311.
3. Leal DV, Taylor L, Hough J. Exercise-induced salivary hormone Responses to High-Intensity, Self-Paced Running. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2021;16(9):1319-27.
4. Leal DV, Taylor L, Hough J. Reproducibility of acute steroid hormone responses in men to short-duration running. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2019;14(10):1430-7.