Acute effects of different types of exercises on insulin-like growth factor-1, homocysteine and cortisol levels in veteran athletes

This study aimed to investigate acute effects of table tennis (physical+cognitive exercise), aerobic running (physical exercise), and chess (cognitive exercise) exercise sessions of veteran male athletes in their branches on the serum homocysteine (Hcy), insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and cortisol (Cor) levels. Thirty veteran athletes [10 table tennis players (TT), 10 long-distance runners (LR), 10 chess players (CP)] and 10 sedentary controls (SC) between 50 and 65 years of age participated in the study. Blood samples were obtained before and immediately after exercise to determine serum Hcy, IGF-1, and Cor levels. According to their branch, each veteran athlete performed exercise sessions (70-75% of the participants' heart rate reserve) of 10-min of warm-up followed by 40-min of table tennis, aerobic running, or chess. TT and LR groups demonstrated significant increases in the serum IGF-1, Cor, and Hcy levels from pre to post-exercise (p<0.05). In contrast, the CP group showed significant increases only in the serum Hcy levels (p<0.05). Serum IGF-1 and Hcy, in response to exercise, were not significantly different between exercise groups (p>0.05). LR group had a greater serum Cor increase than all exercise groups (p<0.05). The TT group showed significantly greater changes in serum Cor levels than the CP group (p<0.05). In conclusion, although a single bout of aerobic running and table tennis exercise induces a remarkable increase in all measured biomarkers, chess exercise only elicits an increase in Hcy levels. Although aerobic running is more effective in increasing Cor levels than other types of exercise, the current study's findings suggest that serum Hcy and IGF-1 levels in veteran male athletes are not affected by the type of exercise.