Background::
Interleukin (IL)-6, total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and uric acid (UA) increase after exercise in
able-bodied individuals. Wheelchair Basketball Athletes (WBA), having low muscle mass, could be at risk of post-exercise
ketosis.
Objective::
This study aimed to evaluate the post-exercise ketosis, IL-6 and antioxidant response, in WBA of the Italian
National team, after a simulated match.
Methods::
Dietary intakes, Starvation Symptoms Inventory (SSI), percentage of fat mass (FM%) and basal Respiratory
Exchange Ratio (RER) and Basal Energy Expenditure (BEE), were evaluated. Salivary TAC, UA and IL-6 were measured:
before (PreM), at the end (EM) and 20 minutes after (PostM) the match. Capillary glucose and β-hydroxybutyrate (βHB)
were monitored. Percentage of Heart Rate Reserve (%HRR) was measured to evaluate exercise intensity.
Results::
WBA had low carbohydrates (43.5% of daily energy intake (En)) and high fat (36.3% En) intakes. The increase in
UA at PostM correlated with En (0.810, p<0.01) and was inversely related to βHB at EM (-0.719, p<0.05). Furthermore, at
PostM growing IL-6 levels correlated with BEE (0.778, p<0.05) and inversely related to FM% (-0.762, p<0.5) were found,
which in turn was correlated to SSI (0.781, p<0.05). Also βHB PostM correlated with SSI (0.761, p<0.05) but was inversely
related to RER (-0.745, p<.05) and En (-0.826, p<0.01).
Conclusions::
Our study suggests that some WBA should improve their dietary habit in order to prevent post-exercise
ketosis and ameliorate the endogenous antioxidant response after exercise.