Persistent inflammation, as revealed by increased levels of inflammatory biomarkers, is associated with several chronic disorders, as highlighted by Barbara Nicklas and colleagues.1 Accordingly, current guidelines recommend 30 minutes or more of daily, moderate-intensity physical exercise.2 However, little is known about the effects of vigorous aerobic training on inflammation, and debate continues regarding the intensity of physical activity required to achieve the most favourable health benefits.1
To investigate the association between vigorous aerobic training and inflammation, we analyzed the concentration of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in sedentary healthy controls, amateur road cyclists and professional road cyclists, matched for age and sex. All subjects were in a fasted state, and the athletes had rested for 24–48 h since their last training session. The hs-CRP was measured by the reference assay using the Behring Nephelometer (Dade Behring GmbH, Marburg, Germany). No significant differences could be observed in the median concentration of hs-CRP between sedentary controls (0.67 mg/L), amateur cyclists (0.54 mg/L, p = 0.85) and professional cyclists (0.59 mg/L, p = 0.99), nor between professional and amateur athletes.3 We also measured levels of hs-CRP in members of the national Italian cross-country ski team and found similar levels (0.55 mg/L, p = 0.32) (unpublished data). The percentage of subjects with hs-CRP levels above the 3.0 mg/L high-risk threshold was comparable and not statistically different among groups.
These data suggest that healthy individuals subjected to vigorous aerobic training are not likely to develop persistent phlogistic reactions and the advantageous metabolic changes induced by exercise training might be safely used as preventive or therapeutic measures in patients with chronic disorders.
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