Journal
PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY
Volume 131, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2021.105336
Keywords
Aerobic exercise; Exercise intensity; Psychosocial stressor; Cortisol; Stressor reactivity; Stressor recovery
Categories
Funding
- Canada Research Chairs Program
- Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar Award
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada [RGPIN-2019-05480]
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This study found that vigorous exercise can attenuate the cortisol response to a subsequent stressor task, with the effect being proportional to the intensity of the exercise. The cortisol released from exercise suppresses the subsequent cortisol response to psychosocial stressor.
Objective: The aim of this experimental study was to determine the extent to which the intensity of a single 30 min bout of exercise alters the salivary cortisol (sCort) response to a subsequently induced acute psychosocial stressor. The study further aimed to elucidate a physiological mechanism through which exercise intensity exerts stress-mitigating effects. Methods: Eighty-three healthy men (Mage = 21.04 SD = 2.89) were randomly assigned to exercise on a treadmill at either 30%, 50% or 70% of their heart rate reserve (HRR) for 30 min and then underwent the Trier Social Stress Test 45 min later. sCort was measured repeatedly throughout and following the exercise bout and stressor task. Results: ANCOVA and Multilevel Growth Curve Analysis determined that vigorous (70% HRR) exercise elicited dampened sCort responses to the stressor task, marked by lower total sCort levels, diminished sCort reactivity, and faster recovery to baseline values, as compared to less intense exercise. Moreover, exercise elicited a sCort response in proportion to the intensity at which it was performed, and this exercise-associated HPA-axis response was inversely proportional to the sCort response to the subsequent stressor task. Conclusions: This study revealed that exercise-intensity dampens the HPA-axis stress response in a dosedependent manner, with evidence that the cortisol released from exercising intensely suppresses the subsequent cortisol response to a psychosocial stressor.
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