Testosterone, Athletic Context, Oral Contraceptive Use, and Competitive Persistence in Women

IF 16.4 1区化学 Q1 CHEMISTRY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY Accounts of Chemical Research Pub Date : 2021-10-16 DOI:10.1007/s40750-021-00180-6

Kathleen V. Casto, Lindsie C. Arthur, Dave K. Hamilton, David A. Edwards

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引用次数: 5

Abstract

Objectives

The purpose of this study is to provide a descriptive account of salivary testosterone levels in women in relation to being an athlete, sporting level, competitive context, and oral contraceptive (OC) use and, to explore the relationship between testosterone levels and performance in a task of competitive persistence.

Methods

Saliva samples were collected from teams of women athletes at the recreational, collegiate varsity, and elite-international levels, and a university participant-pool sample of athletes and non-athletes (N = 253). Among the elite athletes, additional saliva samples were collected before and after on- and off-field training sessions and competition. University participants competed in a timed weight-holding competition in the laboratory.

Results

Testosterone levels were highest in elite athletes compared to university students (η² = .07) and were elevated in the context of competitive training (+13–51%) and formal competition (69%) contexts. OC users had significantly lower testosterone levels than non-users (η² = .14). For university athletes, testosterone levels were positively correlated with performance in a task of competitive persistence (R² = .23). OC use was associated with lower competitive persistence (d = .42) – a relationship explained by OC users’ lower testosterone levels relative to non-users (d = 1.32).

Conclusions

Results suggest that salivary testosterone levels in women may depend on sport participation and OC use, are malleable to competitive contexts, and among athletes, are positively related to competitive task persistence. Given the testosterone suppressing effects of OC use, this study provides insight on psychophysiological risks of OC use that could be relevant to sport performance.

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女性的睾酮、运动环境、口服避孕药使用和竞争持久性

目的本研究的目的是描述女性唾液睾酮水平与运动员身份、运动水平、竞争环境和口服避孕药（OC）使用的关系，并探讨睾酮水平与比赛持久性任务表现之间的关系。方法从娱乐、大学代表队和国际精英级别的女运动员团队中收集唾液样本，并从运动员和非运动员的大学参与者库中收集样本（N=253）。在精英运动员中，在场内外训练和比赛前后采集了额外的唾液样本。大学的参赛者在实验室里进行了计时举重比赛。结果优秀运动员睾酮水平高于大学生（η2 = .07），并且在竞争性训练（+13-51%）和正式比赛（69%）的背景下提高。OC使用者的睾酮水平显著低于非使用者（η2 = .14）。对于大学运动员来说，睾酮水平与比赛持久性任务的表现呈正相关（R2 = .23）。OC的使用与较低的竞争持久性相关（d = .42）-OC使用者的睾酮水平低于非使用者（d = 1.32）。结论研究结果表明，女性唾液睾酮水平可能取决于运动参与和OC的使用，对竞争环境具有可塑性，在运动员中，与竞争任务的持久性呈正相关。鉴于使用OC对睾酮的抑制作用，本研究深入了解了使用OC的心理生理风险，这可能与运动表现有关。

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来源期刊

Accounts of Chemical Research 化学-化学综合

CiteScore

31.40

自引率

1.10%

发文量

312

审稿时长

2 months

期刊介绍： Accounts of Chemical Research presents short, concise and critical articles offering easy-to-read overviews of basic research and applications in all areas of chemistry and biochemistry. These short reviews focus on research from the author’s own laboratory and are designed to teach the reader about a research project. In addition, Accounts of Chemical Research publishes commentaries that give an informed opinion on a current research problem. Special Issues online are devoted to a single topic of unusual activity and significance. Accounts of Chemical Research replaces the traditional article abstract with an article "Conspectus." These entries synopsize the research affording the reader a closer look at the content and significance of an article. Through this provision of a more detailed description of the article contents, the Conspectus enhances the article's discoverability by search engines and the exposure for the research.