1. Aerobic Fitness Level Affects Cardiovascular and Salivary Alpha Amylase Responses to Acute Psychosocial Stress
- Author
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Maria Boesch, Céline Tschopp, Roberto La Marca, Lilian Roos, Klaus Michael Frei, Hubert Annen, Thomas Wyss, University of Zurich, and Wyss, Thomas
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Sports medicine ,Physical fitness ,Protective factor ,Cross-stressor adaptation hypotheses ,Physiology ,Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation ,030204 cardiovascular system & hematology ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,2732 Orthopedics and Sports Medicine ,Heart rate ,Trier social stress test ,Autonomic nervous system ,Aerobic exercise ,Medicine ,Orthopedics and Sports Medicine ,Physical activity ,Stress response ,Stress prevention ,Original Research Article ,3612 Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation ,business.industry ,10093 Institute of Psychology ,VO2 max ,Physical therapy ,business ,150 Psychology ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery - Abstract
Background Good physical fitness seems to help the individual to buffer the potential harmful impact of psychosocial stress on somatic and mental health. The aim of the present study is to investigate the role of physical fitness levels on the autonomic nervous system (ANS; i.e. heart rate and salivary alpha amylase) responses to acute psychosocial stress, while controlling for established factors influencing individual stress reactions. Methods The Trier Social Stress Test for Groups (TSST-G) was executed with 302 male recruits during their first week of Swiss Army basic training. Heart rate was measured continuously, and salivary alpha amylase was measured twice, before and after the stress intervention. In the same week, all volunteers participated in a physical fitness test and they responded to questionnaires on lifestyle factors and personal traits. A multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to determine ANS responses to acute psychosocial stress from physical fitness test performances, controlling for personal traits, behavioural factors, and socioeconomic data. Results Multiple linear regression revealed three variables predicting 15 % of the variance in heart rate response (area under the individual heart rate response curve during TSST-G) and four variables predicting 12 % of the variance in salivary alpha amylase response (salivary alpha amylase level immediately after the TSST-G) to acute psychosocial stress. A strong performance at the progressive endurance run (high maximal oxygen consumption) was a significant predictor of ANS response in both models: low area under the heart rate response curve during TSST-G as well as low salivary alpha amylase level after TSST-G. Further, high muscle power, non-smoking, high extraversion, and low agreeableness were predictors of a favourable ANS response in either one of the two dependent variables. Conclusions Good physical fitness, especially good aerobic endurance capacity, is an important protective factor against health-threatening reactions to acute psychosocial stress., Sports Medicine - Open, 2 (1), ISSN:2198-9761
- Published
- 2016