ISSN 1750-9823 (print) International Journal of Sports Science and Engineering Vol. 03 (2009) No. 02, pp. 073-076 Plasma Biochemical Changes During Moderate and Vigorous Exercises K.S.Adedapo 1 , O.M.Akinosun 1 , G.O.Arinola 1, + , Bola Odekunle Odegbemi 2 , O.I.Adedeji 2 1 Department of Chemical Pathology, University Teaching Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria 2 Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria (Received February 12, 2009, accepted April 5, 2009) Abstract. Physical exercise is beneficial at all ages but the biochemical basis of this is not completely known. Liver function tests, renal function tests, plasma lipid profiles and plasma glucose concentration were determined in 50 sedentary Nigerians, 50 Nigerians on moderate-exercise and 50 Nigerians on vigorous- exercise. The levels of aspartate transaminase (AST), total protein (TP), albumin, urea and high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) were significantly elevated while the levels of Na + , K + , cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) and glucose were significantly reduced in vigorous exercising subjects compared with the controls. The level of AST was significantly increased while the levels of plasma TC, LDL-C and glucose were significantly reduced in moderate exercising subjects compared with the controls. This study shows that the influence of exercise on blood biochemistry is related to the duration of the activity; and that vigorous exercise should be performed with caution. Keywords: Electrolytes, physical activity, organ functions, lipids 1. Introduction: Physical exercise is bodily activity that develops or maintains physical fitness and overall health (1). It is often practiced to strengthen muscles and to optimize athletic skills. Exercise has multiple beneficial effects on human body such as increasing threshold for pain, reducing high blood pressure, preventing obesity, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes mellitus (2, 3, 4). Regular exercise decreases the risk for certain cancers (prostate, lung, colon cancers), and improves cognitive functioning (3). It has been shown to be neuro- protective in many neurodegenerative and neuromuscular diseases (4, 5, 6). Exercise boosts the immune system by increasing the levels of interleukin 1 and interferons (7, 8). Exercise also decreases stress, anxiety, and depression by increasing oxygen supply to brain tissue and by increasing dopamine, serotonin, nor-epinephrine and acetylcholine (3). Excessive exercise damages the muscle (rhabdomyolysis) and regular exercise without proper rest increases the chance of stroke or circulatory problems (7, 8, 9). Some studies have shown that vigorous exercise executed by healthy individuals can effectively increase opioid peptides and positively influence the production of testosterone and growth hormone (8). Reasons given by previous authors to explain the observed effects of exercises were mainly based on chemical messengers such as hormones and cytokines (7, 8). The present study is designed to provide additional information on biochemical indices during moderate and vigorous exercise. 2. Materials and Methods: A total of 150 male Nigerian subjects were considered for this study. They were divided into three groups of physical activity based on the definition of Kern (10); viz: sedentary (engaging in very little exercise), moderate exercise (playing football for 15 minutes) and vigorous exercise (15 minutes of vigorous and continuous jogging). They aged between 25- 48 years (35.4±9.5 yrs). Inform consents were obtained from each subject before sample collection and ethical approval was obtained from Institution Ethical Review Committee before the commencement of the study. Ten (10ml) of blood were obtained by + Corresponding author. G O Arinola. E-mail address: drarinolaog64@yahoo.com . Published by World Academic Press, World Academic Union