PhD E.I. Semenova¹
Dr.Biol., Professor G.E. Mironova²
PhD Z.N. Krivoshapkina¹
PhD L.D. Olesova¹
PhD A.V. Efremova¹
L.I. Konstantinova¹
A.I. Yakovleva¹
A.A. Grigorieva^1
1Yakut Science Center of Complex Medical Problems, Yakutsk
²Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University, Yakutsk

 

Keywords: athletes, boxing, freestyle wrestling, Yakutia, erythrocyte indices.

 

Introduction. The highly-skilled Yakut athletes have to live and train in the extreme climatic conditions (cold weather, specific photoperiodism, electromagnetic factors, severe aerodynamic conditions, climatic changes), which imposes additional loads on the athletes' body. Therefore, their training process needs to be supported by accessible express test methods that adequately reflect their adaptation process. Some researchers recommend a variety of morpho-functional rating criteria to profile their body responses to stressors [3, 5].

Objective of the study was to measure the erythrocyte indices in the highly-skilled Yakut athletes engaged in martial arts by analyzing their functional state at various stages of the training cycle.

Methods and structure of the study. The experiment was conducted at the premises of the FSBI "School of Elite Sportsmanship", SEI "Republican Specialized Institute of Olympic Reserve of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)" and SEI "Churapcha State Institute of Physical Education and Sports" (ChSIPhCS). Subject to the study were 169 Yakut acyclic athletes aged 18-28 years including freestyle wrestlers (n=112) and boxers (n=57).

The blood samples were taken from the ring finger in the morning on an empty stomach. The red blood levels (RBC, HGB, HCT, MCV, MCH, MCHC) per unit volume (1 μl) were measured using the semi-automatic hematology analyzer with a built-in dilutor — HC-5710 (USA) and J.T. BAKER reagents (Netherlands).

Results and discussion. The mean red blood values (other than hematocrit) in both wrestlers and boxers were within the normal range (Tables 1, 2).

 

Table 1. Red blood morphological composition in wrestlers depending on training cycle stage

Blood values	Preseason training stage (n=61)	Postseason training stage (n=47)	Preparatory period (n=62)
RBC·1012/l	4.39±0.03	4.61±0.05	4.46±0.04
HGB, g/l	138.27±1.32	142.53±1.62	139.15±1.42
Color index	0.94±0.01	0.92±0.01	0.93±0.01х p=0.05
HCT, %	39.89±0.42	41.74±0.55	39.54±0.48
MCV, fl	90.87±0.64	90.91±0. 26	88.49±0.61
МСН, pg	31.52±0.21	30.91±0.21	31.15±0.17
МСНС, %	34.73±0.20	34.24±0.24* p=0.05	35.27±0.25
ESR, mm/h	3.02±0.27	2.97±0.25	3.67±0.77

Note: * – significance of differences between the preseason and postseason training stages;

х – significance of differences between the postseason and preparatory periods.

 

Table 2. Red blood morphological composition in boxers depending on training cycle stage

Blood values	Preseason training stage (n=28)	Postseason training stage (n=31)	Preparatory period (n=40)
RBC·1012/l	4.34±0.08* p=0.04	4.36±0.05	4.31±0.05
HGB, g/l	139.32±1.92	136.56±1.62	133.91±1.76
Color index	0.96±0.08	0.94±0.01	0.93±0.01
HCT, %	39.48±0.71	38.66±0.51	37.06±0.53 х p=0.05
MCV, fl	91.11±0.97 *p=0.03 х p =0.05	88.74±0.69х	85.99±1.01
МСН, pg	32.19±0.30	31.33±0.22	31.10±0.34
МСНС, %	35.41±0.36	35.34±0.38 p=0.01	36.32±0.45 аp=0.01 хp=0.01
ESR, mm/h	3.46±0.35	3.71±0.25	4.12±0.29

Note:  * – significance of differences between the preseason and postseason training stages;

               а – significance of differences between the preseason and preparatory periods;

               х – significance of differences between the postseason and preparatory periods.

 

At the same time, the analysis of the data obtained testified to the deviation from the norm in a part of the examined athletes at all stages of the training cycle, which was especially pronounced at the preseason stage. The dynamics of changes in the hemoglobin blood level (HGB) in the athletes was associated with oxygen transport and indicated the development of anemic conditions. The low HGB rates in the preseason period were found in 28.57% of boxers, in the postseason stage - in 29.03%, and in the preparatory period - in 37.5%. The hematocrit (HCT) level in the boxers changed according to the same pattern. Moreover, the number of boxers with the low HCT rates at the preparatory stage increased 1.4 times (62.5%). The dynamics of changes in the HGB rates was different in the group of freestyle wrestlers. Thus, the low HGB rates were registered in the preseason period  - in 22.9% of athletes and postseason one - in 12.7%, while at the preparatory stage this indicator increased to 32.2%. The decreased HGB and HCT rates in some athletes indicated the development of sports anemia. It is known that hypochromic conditions in athletes depend on many factors. Most experts believe that one of the main causes of sports anemia is iron deficiency, that may develop due to a low-iron diet, reduced iron absorption, increased sweat iron loss, as well as increased urinary excretion of iron [3]. The extreme climatic factors can also affect iron metabolism in the Yakut athletes. According to literature data, in the conditions of the Far North, the physiological mechanisms of adaptation, of the erythron system and iron metabolism in particular, consistently lead to a certain shift in the system equilibrium: "body Fe stores → transferrin → erythron, muscle tissue and other tissues" - to the right, which results in an increased demand and frequent deficiency development [5]. In addition, iron deficiency anemia in Yakutia is among the most common "northern" microelementoses due to the imbalance of macro-microelements in the ecosystems and surface waters [1,8], as evidenced by the previously detected magnesium deficiency in the boxers and freestyle wrestlers [8]. The HCT rates in the boxers at all stages of the training cycle, and in wrestlers at the preseason and preparatory stages were below the norm. The sag of the HCT rates ​​in the athletes were probably not only due to anemia and hypoxia, but also due to the rheological properties of blood. The hematocrit values enable to determine the athlete's physical fitness level. Thus, according to A.V. Muraviev et al. (2007), the hematocrit value in non-athletes equals 44.5%, and in those adapted to physical loads (athletes) - 40.2% [7]. Currently, there is no consensus on the mean hematocrit value. Thus, some authors believe that the optimal hematocrit values ​​vary within the range of 37.0 to 42.0% [7], while others - from 41.8 to 44.0% [4] and 39.0-41.0% [12]. The hematocrit value of the examined athletes does not differ from the above indicators [10, 11]. A decrease in the number of athletes (wrestlers and boxers) with the low HGB and HCT rates ​​prior to the competition indicates hemoconcentration and a decrease in the share of the liquid part of peripheral blood caused by the forced weight loss, especially among the wrestlers. During regular sports activity, the athletes lost their weight due to the liquid loss - up to 2.0-3.0 kg per day on the average (2 training sessions lasting 2 hours each), whereas they rarely drank water or special sport drinks during training.

The mean values of erythrocyte indices in the wrestlers and boxers were within the norm at all training stages (see Tables 1, 2). However, in the preseason period, the mean cell volume (MCV) increased in 32.79% of wrestlers and 46.43% of boxers. At other stages of the training cycle, the number of wrestlers with the high MCV rates decreased gradually. A more than tenfold decrease in the number of boxers with the high MCV rates in the postseason period testified to the normalization of this indicator. Conspicuous is the fact that, at the preparatory stage, the MCV rates were below the norm in 25% of boxers, which indicated the development of sports anemia in these athletes. The pronounced МСV growth commonly associated with the thickening of the erythrocyte membrane and spherical index variation may be interpreted as the bodily adaptation to the water-electrolyte balance in blood under hypotonic type. The mean cell hemoglobin (MCH) and mean cell hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) rates in the athletes under study corresponded to the upper limits of the norm, varying slightly depending on the stage of the training cycle. At the same time, at the preseason stage, 27.87% of wrestlers and 21.43% of boxers were found to have an increase in the MCH and the MCHC rates. The growth of erythrocyte indices (МСН, МСНС) in some athletes, particularly in the preseason period, may be indicative of the tissue-level hypoxia and dehydration.

Conclusion. The erythrocyte indices (MCV, MCH, MCHC) are the informative indicators of sports anemia and water-electrolyte imbalance, they are also indicative of both adaptation and disadaptation. In this view, the red blood values and erythrocyte indices can be used as the markers of adaptive reactions of the body of highly-skilled athletes to intense physical loads in the harsh climatic conditions of the North.

 

References

1. Avtsyn A.P., Zhavoronkov A.A., Rish M.A. et al Mikroelementozy cheloveka: etiologiya, klassifikatsiya, organopatologiya [Microelementoses of man: etiology, classification, organopathology]. Moscow: Meditsina publ., 1991, 496 p.

2. Gushchin A.G. Vliyanie na reologicheskie svoystva, gazovy i kislotno-schelochnoy sostav krovi odnokratnykh myshechnykh nagruzok raznoy intensivnosti. Dis. Kand. Med. Nauk [Influence on rheological properties, blood gas and acid-base parameters in single muscle loads of different intensity. PhD diss.]. Yaroslavl, 1994, 184 p.

3. Degteva G.N. Sostoyanie eritrona u zhiteley severnykh territoriy [Erythron status in inhabitants of northern territories]. Ekologiya cheloveka [Human Ecology], 2004, no. 6, pp. 53-57.

4. Durmanov N.D., Filimonov A.S. Diagnostika i korrektsiya narusheniy obmena zheleza v sporte vysshikh dostizheniy [Diagnostics and correction of iron metabolism disorders in elite sports]. Method. Rec. for physicians. Moscow, 2010, 84 p.

5. Kim L. B. Transport kisloroda pri adaptatsii cheloveka k usloviyam Arktiki i kardiorespiratornoy patologii [Transport of oxygen in human adaptation to Arctic conditions and cardiorespiratory pathology]. Novosibirsk: Nauka publ., 2015-216 p.

6. Makarova G.A. Sportivnaya meditsina [Sports medicine]. Moscow, Sovetskiy Sport publ., 2003, 480 p.

7. Muraviev A.V., Tikhomirova I.A. Fiziologicheskaya rol i mekhanizmy obiedineniya v agregaty [Fiziological role and mechanisms of association in aggregates]. Rossiyskiy fiziologicheskiy zhurnal [Russian Physiological Journal], 2007, no. 12, pp. 1382-1393.

8. Olesova L.D., Okhlopkova E.D. Otsenka obespechennosti organizma sportsmenov makronutrientami [Assessment of athletes’ macronutrients]. YMZh, 2006, no. 4, pp. 16-18.

9. Panin L.E. Osobennosti energeticheskogo obmena [Features of energy exchange]. Mekhanizmy adaptatsii cheloveka v usloviyakh vysokikh shirot [Mechanisms of high latitude adaptation in man]. Leningrad; Meditsina publ., 1980, pp. 87-97.

10. Semenova E.I. Morfologicheskie pokazateli perifericheskoy krovi vysokokvalifitsirovannykh sportsmenov [Morphological parameters of peripheral blood in highly skilled martial artists of Yakutia. PhD]. Yakutsk, 2010, 124 p.

11. Semenova E. I., Mironova G. Ye., Krivoshapkina Z. N. et al Pokazateli perifericheskoy krovi sportsmenov Yakutii [Parameters of peripheral blood of Yakut athletes]. Proc. V international res.-pract, conference ‘Scientific achievements of the third millennium’ May 31, 2017 Pub.SPC “L Journal”, New York, 2017, pp. 32–39.

12. Parthasarathi K, Lipowsky H. H. Capillary recruitment in response to tissue hypoxia and its dependence on red blood cell deformability. Am. J. Physiol., 1999, vol. 277, pp. 2145–2150.

 

Corresponding author: kunsuntar@mail.ru

 

Abstract

The highly-skilled Yakut athletes have to live and train in the extreme climatic conditions of the Russian Far North and, therefore, their training process needs to be supported by accessible and dependable express test methods to control their adaptation processes. Some researchers recommend a variety of morpho-functional rating criteria to profile their body responses to stressors. The study was designed to measure the erythrocyte indices in highly-skilled Yakut athletes (n=169) including freestyle wrestlers (n=112) and boxers (n=57) aged 18-28 years. It was found that the specific (per 1 mcl) variations of hemoglobin, hematocrit, erythrocyte indices (MCV, MCH, MCHC) in the Yakut athletes are sport- and training-stage- specific. The expressed variations of the blood profiles versus the standard in some athletes in the preseason period may be interpreted as indicative of the drawbacks in the preseason weight loss systems. The expressed sag of the НGB and НСТ rates in the boxing subsample may be indicative of the hypochrome anemia due to the specific requirements of the competitive process. The growth of erythrocyte indices (МСН, МСНС) in some athletes, particularly in the preseason period, may be indicative of the tissue-level hypoxia and dehydration. The МСV growth commonly associated with the thickening of the erythrocyte membrane and spherical index variation may be interpreted as the bodily adaptation to the water-electrolyte balance in blood under hypotonic type. These adaptability conditions were found to be of limiting effect on the athletes’ physicality including the endurance and physical working capacity rates and, hence, on their competitive success rates.