Study of the metabolic state of a population of recreational athletes from the City of Buenos Aires, Argentina

Abstract

Introduction: Physical activity is associated with several benefits related to improving the quality of life. Objectives: This work aimed to know the metabolic state of a population of recreational athletes from the City of Buenos Aires, Argentina, according to the intensity of training and the type of sport practiced and the relationship between training and the type of sport practiced. Materials and methods: A total of 1663 recreational athletes were evaluated, classifying them according to the activity performed and its intensity. The age, blood pressure, VO2 peak, heart rate, body mass index, and total levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and glucose were recorded. Results: The means obtained for the parameters studied did not exceed the reference range. According to the individual data of each athlete, some altered parameters were observed. These allowed them to be classified as metabolically healthy and not metabolically healthy. More than 60% of athletes were defined as metabolically healthy. Depending on the intensity of training, a directly proportional relationship between the increase in intensity and the improvement of the metabolic state was observed. Conclusions: The response generated by exercise on the biochemical parameters associated with metabolic syndrome has a beneficial effect in controlling them, and is relevant when the intensity of the activity is higher, regardless of the type of activity developed. The body mass index can be a good parameter to project certain alterations in the metabolic profile, but this criterion cannot be standardized.