TITLE:
Elite Sport and Biological Age Influence of Extensive or Regular Low to Moderate Exercise on Plasma DHEA-S and Cortisol in Ice-Hockey Players
AUTHORS:
Lars-Eric Uneståhl, Benny Johansson
KEYWORDS:
Competitive Sport; Biological Age; Stress; Adrenal Hormones; Emotional Factors; Lifestyle
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.4 No.7,
July
19,
2013
ABSTRACT:
Based on common comments that elite players in soccer and ice-hockey
often looked “older” than nonplayers of the same age, the authors examined the
research literature but found that very few studies had been conducted in the
area of elite sport and biological age. We therefore decided to conduct a pilot
study comparing professional elite ice hockey players (EP) (22 males, M = 24.7
years) with a cohort of amateur players (AP) similar in age but from a lower
competitive level (17 males, M = 25.4 years). Subjective ratings of
motivational, attitude and emotional factors were combined with measurements of
blood concentrations of DHEA-S, cortisol and the DHEA-S/cortisol ratio. DHEA-S
and the DHEA-S/cortisol ratio were significantly higher (p