By Alaina Rinehart
Physical activity strongly influences the endocrine and neuroendocrine systems by creating and secreting various hormones. There are several factors that affect the endocrine response to physical activity including exercise intensity or duration, age, gender, and previous fitness experience. There are also several environmental factors that can affect the endocrine response. For optimal athletic performance, it’s important to have balanced hormones. It’s even more significant that female athletes have balance hormones, as menstrual cycles reflect the great impact of hormone changes. Many athletes, both male and female, turn to steroids, growth hormones, and countless other illegal substances to enhance their performance. While these options might get some results, they are not ideal for long term sustainability or overall health. Proper nutrition and taking safe supplements can enhance certain hormones and, therefore, enhance athletic performance naturally.
The primary hormones that affect body composition include insulin, leptin, ghrelin, growth hormone, testosterone, and estrogen. Each hormone has a specific function, but all contribute to the amount of fat and muscle in the body. These hormones all act according to how an individual behaves. For instance, if a person lifts heavy weights, their hormones will act to get mitochondria to become more effective at handling and generating energy. The 2022 article, “How Can You Optimize Your Hormones as You Age” talks about how a person can optimize each of the six hormones. Staying physically active and maintaining a healthy diet can improve insulin sensitivity. Eating a surplus of carbohydrates every two weeks or so can increase leptin levels, which helps regulate hunger, metabolic rate, appetite, and even fertility. Research has suggested that doing high-intensity cardio increases ghrelin. Growth hormone is correlated with ghrelin levels. Growth hormone decreases whenever ghrelin decreases. The most effective ways to keep testosterone levels elevated is to stay lean, regularly do weigh training, keep stress and cortisol levels minimal, and eat a balanced diet. Estrogen levels fluctuate each month during a females’ cycle and as things such as pregnancy and menopause occur. Estrogen levels can be maintained through a healthy diet, exercise, and similar lifestyle as those listed for testosterone. A healthy diet seems to be a big factor when trying to balance hormones. But there are certain foods that can improve hormone functions even further. The food items that improve hormonal function include leafy greens, green vegetables, as well as whey protein. While whey protein is technically a supplement, it is an easy way to add protein into a diet to ensure consuming enough protein and boost hormones. Some example vegetables could include brussels sprouts, romaine lettuce, turnip, broccoli, spinach, collards, and kale. Having at least three cups of greens daily can help balance hormone levels.
For body composition, hormones affect performance, fat loss, and muscle growth, but they do not determine how much muscle an individual can grow, or fat can be lost. According to the 2022 study, “hormones create biological environments that are more or less conducive to health, vitality, and fitness.” Each of the six primary hormones affect body composition in different ways. Resistance training boosts each of the hormones, creating a positive feedback loop that makes it easier to lose fat or gain muscle.
Females must pay closer attention to their hormones and their menstrual cycles to optimize performance. Sex hormone concentrations fluctuate throughout the month depending on a women’s cycle. A menstrual cycle can last from twenty-one to thirty-five days, but the standard cycle is about twenty-eight days long. There are two main phases of a menstrual cycle, the follicular phase, and the luteal phase, according to the research article, “The Impact of Menstrual Cycle Phase on Athletes’ Performance: A Narrative Review”. The article explained the fluctuations of estrogen, progesterone, follicle stimulating hormone, and luteinizing hormone throughout the menstrual cycle. Based on this information, it’s easy to see how each hormone fluctuates throughout a cycle. If a female athlete does not do anything to help balance these hormones, her performance would be less than optimal. At the elite level, approximately 67%-91% of female athletes have a standard menstrual cycle and do not take hormonal contraceptives that would interfere with these hormonal fluctuations. There is considerable evidence suggesting physical performance varies throughout the cycle. The cycle can affect muscle activation, metabolism, thermoregulation, and even body composition. Therefore, this can affect muscle strength and power.
Another factor that affects strength and power force production is a menstrual cycle-based change in bioavailable testosterone. It has been shown that testosterone fluctuates during the two main phases of a menstrual cycle. Testosterone is known to enhance physical performance. Because of the evidence that hormones fluctuate during a menstrual cycle, it’s becoming more popular for elite female athletes to monitor their cycles. Athletes record their cycles and symptoms in an app that coaches and staff can access to see when hormone levels are peaking. This app also helps identify any irregularities in the cycle that can be adjusted, such as sleeping habits, training, diet, or various lifestyle factors that can contribute to hormone concentrations. Based on a study, it was found that strength and aerobic performance was diminished during the late luteal phase. In that phase, female athletes should pay much closer attention to lifestyle habits.
Hormonal fluctuations can impact performance for several reasons. Athletes should be maintaining a proper and balance diet and training adequate volumes through the week. They should also be getting enough rest each night to keep hormone levels balanced. Monitoring lifestyle habits that could potentially factor into hormone variations should help keep their performance level.
References
Carmichael, M. A., Thomson, R. L., Moran, L. J., & Wycherley, T. P. (2021, February 9). The impact of menstrual cycle phase on athletes’ performance: A narrative review. International journal of environmental research and public health. Retrieved July 24, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7916245/
F., L., E., G., & J., S. C. (2018, July 10). Hormones and athletic performance. IRIS. Retrieved July 24, 2022, from https://iris.unito.it/handle/2318/1670600
Legion, T. (2020, February 28). 5 foods that boost hormone function and improve your mood. Legion Athletics. Retrieved July 24, 2022, from https://legionathletics.com/5-foods-that-boost-hormone-function-and-improve-your-mood/
Matthews, M. (2022, July 21). How can you optimize your hormones as you age?: Legion. Legion Athletics. Retrieved July 24, 2022, from https://legionathletics.com/optimize-your-hormones/
Matthews, M. (2022, March 20). How much do hormones affect your body composition?: Legion. Legion Athletics. Retrieved July 24, 2022, from https://legionathletics.com/hormones/
