Competing in the city of São Paulo: effects of air pollution on physiological parameters and performance during a 50-km cycling time trial

Author(s)

André Casanova Silveira

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola de Educação Física e Esportes (EEFE/BT)
• Defense date: 2022-02-16

Examining board members

Rômulo Cássio de Moraes Bertuzzi; Guilherme Veiga Guimarães; Maria Urbana Pinto Brandão Rondon; Adriano Eduardo Lima da Silva

• Advisor: Rômulo Cássio de Moraes Bertuzzi

Abstract

Although the exposure to traffic-related air pollution has emerged as a huge threat to inhabitants health in urban centers, its impact on physiological and inflammatory responses as well as on performance-related parameters during exercise remains poorly understood. Some previous studies have demonstrated that the exposure to pollutants can suppress exercise-induced improvements on health. However, the negative impacts of traffic-related air pollution in trained individuals performing prolonged exercise have been neglected in the current literature. The aim of the present study was to analyze the effects of traffic-related air pollution on inflammatory and physiological responses, and performance in trained cyclists during a 50-km cycling time trial (50-km cycling TT). Ten recreationally trained male cyclists performed a 50-km cycling TT under traffic-related air pollution or filtered air conditions in a counterbalanced order. Blood samples were obtained before and after the 50-km cycling TT for measurement of inflammatory markers and blood gases. Rating of perceived exertion (RPE), heart rate (HR), and power output (PO) were measured throughout the 50-km cycling TT. The IL-6, D-dimer, C-Reactive protein (CRP), Irisin, and IL-10 were not altered in both experimental conditions (P > 0.05). However, traffic-related air pollution induces greater increase of Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels and greater decrease of ICAM-1 from pre- to post-exercise (P < 0.05), when compared with filtered air condition (P > 0.05). The RPE, HR, PO, and time to complete the 50-km cycling TT were not different between traffic-related air pollution and filtered air conditions (P > 0.05). These findings suggest that the negative impacts of air pollution on inflammatory, physiological, and performance parameters do not occur in trained individuals when performing a prolonged exercise (i.e., 50-km cycling TT) in a polluted environment that mimetics a real-world traffic-related air pollution (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/21600-0 - Competing in the city of São Paulo: effects of air pollution on physiological parameters and performance during a 50 km time trial.
• Grantee: André Casanova Silveira
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate