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. 2005 Sep;39(9):604–610. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.2004.014183

IGFBP-3, a sensitive marker of physical training and overtraining

M Elloumi 1, N El Elj 1, M Zaouali 1, F Maso 1, E Filaire 1, Z Tabka 1, G Lac 1
PMCID: PMC1725308  PMID: 16118296

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the response of the somatotrope axis (insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3)) to intense exercise in relation to tiredness.

Methods: The study involved 11 rugby players who completed a questionnaire intended to evaluate fitness or, conversely, overtraining and who agreed to plasma samples being taken before and after an international rugby match.

Results: The main finding of our study is that we observed strong negative correlations between IGF-1 (r = 0.652) and IGFBP-3 (r = 0.824) levels and the overtraining state estimated using the French Society of Sport Medicine questionnaire. In particular, there was a fall (of up to 25%) in IGFBP-3 levels after the match in the more fatigued subjects compared to an increase (of up to 40%) in fit subjects.

Conclusions: A fall in IGFBP-3 in response to an intense bout of exercise may represent an index of tiredness in highly trained sportsmen, as indicated by the scores obtained from the overtraining questionnaire.

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