Effect of carbohydrate supplementation during intensive training on the expression of immune response genes in elite runners

• Grant number: 11/08030-0
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: February 01, 2012
• End date: July 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Medical Clinics
• Principal Investigator: Maria Elizabeth Rossi da Silva
• Grantee: Maria Elizabeth Rossi da Silva
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FM). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

There is increasing evidence that the immune system serves as an important physiological indicator of work capacity of an individual. This has led to the hypothesis that excessive physical training can lead to overtraining syndrome, which affects 65% of distance runners at some point in his career, characterized by generalized fatigue, depression, loss of appetite, upper respiratory tract infections, injuries and muscle pain, besides the condition of long-term decrease in performance capacity of athletes could be coming from a derangement of the immune response. The heat shock proteins participate in a variety of physiological processes such as cell phones and cell cycle control during times of stress act as danger signals to alert the immune system, besides being used in the repair of different types of injuries. Thus it is believed that understanding the cellular mechanisms involved, can benefit the physical performance and recovery between training sessions while minimizing oxidative stress and inflammation, contributing to the elucidation of the mechanisms of signaling by means of microarray technology. Nevertheless, it is known that diets deficient in carbohydrates affect the resilience of microdamage after training, resulting in a catabolic state stressed that, in turn, interferes with performance during training. However, there are no studies showing the effects of diet with different concentrations of CHO on heat shock proteins (HSP) during intensive training (overload) in competitive runners. Because the effects of carbohydrate during intensive training in the response of HSP has not been investigated if supplementation results in decreased stress response, we can demonstrate its benefit in the quality of training. Furthermore, in an attempt to minimize the consequences of phase overload that can be crucial in athletes because they favor the onset of the disease, decreased physical performance, plus the feeling of job dissatisfaction, becomes relevant planning nutritional strategies associated with monitoring of gene expression, and clinical journals in this phase of training. We intend to elucidate this two-way interaction between exercise and nutrition on the genetic aspects, which should make possible the establishment of nutritional recommendations and appropriate load and customized training, based on gene expression, preserving the health of the athlete. (AU)