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Background: Vitamin D plays pleiotropic roles in the body and hence, changes in its metabolism and distribution during starvation could play an important role in the adaptive response to famine. We aimed to identify the responses of some vitamin D metabolites to 8 d of fasting and exercise. Methods: A repeated-measures design was implemented, in which 14 male volunteers fasted for 8 d and performed an exercise test before and after fasting. Serum samples were collected on day 1 after night fasting and after 8 d of complete food restriction, before and 1 h and 3 h after exercise. Results: After 8 d of fasting, compared with baseline values, serum 24,25(OH)2D3 and 3-epi-25(OH)D3 levels significantly increased, those of 25(OH)D3 and 1,25(OH)2D3 were unaffected, and those of 25(OH)D2 decreased. Exercise on the first day of fasting induced an increase in serum 3-epi-25(OH)D3 levels, while exercise performed after 8 d of fasting induced an increase in 25(OH)D3, 24,25(OH)2D3, 25(OH)D2, and 3-epi-25(OH)D3 levels. Conclusion: Increases in 24,25(OH)2D3 and 3-epi-25(OH)D3 levels imply that fasting stimulates vitamin D metabolism. The effects of exercise on serum vitamin D metabolites, which are most pronounced after fasting and in subjects with serum 25(OH)D3 above 25 ng/mL, support the notion that fasting and exercise augment vitamin D metabolism.

Sprint interval training (SIT) is a concept that has been shown to enhance aerobic-anaerobic training adaptations and induce larger effects in hypoxia. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of 4 weeks of SIT with 15 or 30 s in hypoxia on aerobic, anaerobic performance and critical power (CP). A total of 32 male team players were divided into four groups: SIT with 15 s at FiO2: 0.209 (15 N), FiO2: 0.135 (15 H), SIT with 30 s at FiO2: 0.209 (30 N), and FiO2: 0.135 (30 H). VO2max did not significantly increase, however time-to-exhaustion (TTE) was found to be significantly longer in the post test compared to pre test (p = 0.001) with no difference between groups (p = 0.86). Mean power (MPw.kg) after repeated wingate tests was significantly higher compared to pre training in all groups (p = 0.001) with no difference between groups (p = 0.66). Similarly, CP was increased in all groups with 4 weeks of SIT (p = 0.001) with no difference between groups (p = 0.82). This study showed that 4 weeks of SIT with 15 and 30 s sprint bouts in normoxia or hypoxia did not increased VO2max in trained athletes. However, anerobic performance and CP can be increased with 4 weeks of SIT both in normoxia or hypoxia with 15 or 30 s of sprint durations.

Summary Study aim: The aim of the present study was to compare the physiological responses of female soccer players recorded during the Beep Test and Yo-Yo Test. Material and methods: Twenty-three high-level women’s soccer players underwent aerobic fitness testing. Modification of the Beep Test consisted of: lengthening the distance between turns to 40 m, extending the time between the increase in speed, and including a rest period between exercise stages. During the running efforts the length of the distance run in both tests was measured as well as circulatory and respiratory variables. For statistical analyses only data obtained at maximum loads in both tests were accepted. Results: Analyzed variables showed that all values recorded in both tests reached maximum values and did not differ statistically significantly. Conclusion: The results show that both applied tests loaded the soccer players to a similar maximum degree and the tests are suitable for assessing the aerobic physical performance.

Introduction. Anaerobic power is an important factor determining the physical performance in various kinds of sports. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to present women’s anaerobic power in soccer players (SP), table tennis players (TT) and weightlifters (WL). Methods. This study involved 3 groups of professional athletes women: 15 SP, 12 TT and 12 WL, which are of a similar age and sports’ level. Anaerobic power in all athletes was recorded during 30-second Wingate test, with resistance set at 0,075 kp x kg (–1). Results. Relatively expressed total external work (TW), maximal power output (Pmax) and the fatigue index (FI) of tested athletes were similar. Mean power (Pmean) was different among the treatment groups (F=12,445; p

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in most countries in the world. In Poland, after cardiovascular disease, cancer is the leading cause of death, and the number of malignant tumors has more than doubled in the last three decades. Increased cancer mortality in the immediate future is expected to be mainly associated with lung cancer caused by smoking (both sexes), colorectal cancer (both sexes), breast cancer in women, and prostate cancer in men. It is estimated that 20 to 30% of all malignant tumors are diet-dependent, in which cases the cancer-inducing factors are the nutritional components of the food and the ‘hygiene’ of eating. Research by the Institute of Food and Nutrition in Warsaw indicates that an important factor in the prevention of cancer is also the individual’s state of awareness concerning diet. It is emphasized that running nutritional education programs, especially for children and adolescents, may help to limit the occurrence of diet-dependent cancers in Poland over the next few decades. The aim of this review is to assist the promulgation of knowledge about the importance of a high-quality diet in the prevention of cancer. The need for such knowledge is indicated by the upward trend in the incidence of these types of disease in Poland.

The objective of this research was to determine whether chronic (average 3.58 &plusmn, 1.56 years) deliberate adherence to low carbohydrate diets (LCDs) is associated with selected markers of metabolism, risk factors of cardiovascular disease (CVD), body mass and physical performance in apparently healthy middle-aged men (n = 12). The control group comprised age, body mass and height matched men using mixed diets (MDs). The diets used were registered for 7 days and analyzed in terms of the energy, carbohydrate, fat and protein contents. It was found that the diets used were isoenergetic, yet varied considerably in carbohydrate and fat content. The LCDs significantly intensified the ketogenesis process, increased resting blood total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and heart rate, (HR) and decreased respiratory exchange ratio (RER) in relation to MD subjects. An exercise trial revealed significant impairment of exercise in subjects following the LCDs. The results showed that in the case where the subjects of two investigated groups did not differ in their somatic variables, long-term adherence to the LCDs was associated with substantially reduced exercise performance in apparently healthy subjects, along with an association with a small unfavorable effect on their lipid profile.

Obesity is an unfavorable state of health as a result of which come in the initial adaptation, that couldgradually transform into specific disease condition. The aim of the study was to assess the degree ofmiddle-aged men adaptation to obesity in terms of somatic changes, exercise capacity andcardiopulmonary fitness. The study involved 12 obese middle-aged men (OG) - BMI = 34.32 ± 4.11kg/m2. The control group (CG) consisted of 12 non-obese middle-aged men- BMI = 23.72 ± 1.83 kg/m2,with similar body height (BH) to OG. After recording somatic and physiological data at rest,participants were subjected to the bicycle ergometer test (BT) gradually increasing intensity. Duringthe BT aerobic power (AP) was recorded and analyzed along with parameters characterizing theefficiency of the circulatory and respiratory systems at anaerobic threshold (AT) and the maximum load(ML). This study has shown that obese men have a higher body mass (BM), a higher content of fat (BF),an increased lean body mass (FFM) and a higher content of water (TBW) than CG (p

Wstęp: Somatyczne wielkości, takie jak masa (Mc) i wysokość ciała (Wc), są używane do wyliczania wskaźników wagowo--wzrostowych i stanowią pomoc w diagnozowaniu nadwagi i otyłości. Cel pracy: Celem pracy jest ocena nadwagi i otyłości kobiet i mężczyzn w świetle prostych wskaźników somatycznych. Materiał i metody: W prezentowanej pracy porównano wskaźniki somatyczne 179 kobiet i 181 mężczyzn z nadwagą i otyłością. Do oceny somatycznej badanych użyto: Mc, Wc oraz wskaźników wagowo-wzrostowych: Queteleta, BMI, Rohrera i smukłości. Wyniki: W badanych grupach kobiety i mężczyźni byli w zbliżonym wieku, grupy te różniły się istotnie omawianymi wskaźnikami somatycznymi. Porównania podgrup kobiet i mężczyzn o podobnej wielkości BMI wykazały, że są oni w podobnym wieku i różnią się w zakresie Mc, Wc oraz wskaźników: Queteleta, Rohrera i smukłości. Natomiast między podgrupami kobiet, jak i między podgrupami mężczyzn, występowały istotne różnice wiekowe, Mc oraz wskaźników: BMI, Queteleta, Rohrera i smukłości. Wnioski: Powyższe dane wskazują, że pomimo braku różnic wieku między badanymi kobietami i mężczyznami z podobnym lub różnym BMI istnieje wyraźna somatyczna determinacja płciowa, natomiast w obrębie tej samej płci, różniącej się wskaźnikiem BMI, wiek badanych jest czynnikiem determinacji somatycznej. Wykazano też, że badane wskaźniki somatyczne mają różną moc predykcyjną w zakresie oceny nadwagi i stopnia otyłości badanych kobiet i mężczyzn.

The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of 21-days comprehensive physiotherapy program on the functional condition of the spine and severity of pain in older people. To achieve this goal, physiotherapeutic procedures were performed on 100 elderly patients suffering from spinal disorders. The comprehensive therapy program consisted of: general improvement exercises, individual exercises with a physiotherapist, exercises in water and physical therapy treatments such as: TENS currents, galvanic current, iontophoresis, laser stimulation, magnetic field on the lumbar spine and hydro massage or mud compresses. Prior and post the therapy program: the Schober’s test - 1 (forward flexion), Schober’s test - 2 (extension), Ott’s test, fingertip-to-floor (FTF) test, pain Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and the modified Oswestry low back pain questionnaire were evaluated. Statistically significant improvement (p0.001) in all tested parameters was shown at the end of therapy program. Age, height, body weight and body mass index (BMI) has no impact on results before and after the physiotherapy program in respective tests. In conclusion, the conducted study has shown the effectiveness of applied comprehensive physiotherapy program on the functional condition of the spine and improvement of the quality of life of the treated patients, regardless of their somatic conditions.

Background: Changes in blood pressure during subjects’ exercise are individually different. The reasons of these differences are unknown. Aim of the study: The aim of this paper is to investigate the rate of changes in cardiovascular system at rest and at physical load which enhance systolic blood pressure (SBP) = 200 mmHg in people with different physical performance. Material and methods: The studies included 18 soccer players and 14 students who do not practice any sport, whose age, body mass, body height and BMI have been similar, and who at baseline were measured systolic blood pressure (SBPr), diastolic blood pressure (DBPr) and heart rate (HRr). Then, the subjects performed exercise on a cycloergometer with increasing intensity in which at the level of the systolic blood pressure = 200 mm Hg (SBP200) were measured DBP200 and HR200. In terms of resting and exercise time the size of the mean arterial pressure (MAPr, MAP200), pulse pressure (PPr, PP200) and rate-pressure product (DPr, DP200) were calculated. Moreover the power achieved in PWC170 test (W and W/kg) and maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) (ml/min and ml/min/kg) were also calculated. Results: Soccer players have reached a higher power in PWC170 and higher VO2max and lower HR200 and DP200 (p

Summary A brief Valsalva manoeuvre, lasting 2–3 s, performed by young healthy men during strength exercise reduces transmural pressure acting on intrathoracic arteries. In this study, we sought to verify this finding in older men. Twenty normotensive, prehypertensive and moderately hypertensive otherwise healthy men 46–69 years old performed knee extensions combined with inspiration or with brief Valsalva manoeuvre performed at 10, 20 and 40 mmHg mouth pressure. Same respiratory manoeuvres were also performed at rest. Non-invasively measured blood pressure, knee angle, respiratory airflow and mouth pressure were continuously registered. In comparison to inspiration, estimated transmural pressure acting on thoracic arteries changed slightly and insignificantly during brief Valsalva manoeuvre at 10 and 20 mmHg mouth pressure. At 40 mmHg mouth pressure, transmural pressure declined at rest (−8·8 ± 11·4 mmHg) and during knee extension (−12·1 ± 11·9 mmHg). This decline ensued, as peak systolic pressure increase caused by this manoeuvre, was distinctly