Physical activity represents a well-known approach for the prevention and treatment of cardio-metabolic diseases. In fact, several metabolic changes occur in the organism during exercise, leading to the activation of adaptive mechanisms. These mechanisms aim to establish a new dynamic equilibrium especially at the metabolic level, which enhances health and optimize performance in elite athletes. However, exercise can have negative effects on health, e.g. on inflammatory and redox states. Excessive training and effort could lead to chronic fatigue, muscle damage and lower performance. Therefore, final beneficial/adverse exercise consequences are the result of the fine balance between the oxidative stress/inflammation induced by exercise that increases performance and health (hormesis), and the oxidative stress due to excessive effort that causes fatigue and muscle damage (overtraining).
Clearly, many variables (e.g. exercise mode, frequency, duration and intensity) may affect the results. Moreover, women and men exhibit many gender-specific anthropometric and physiologic characteristics, which may influence these adaptive mechanisms and therefore, performance. However, this aspect in particular has often been overlooked. For example, it is known that in long-term endurance exercise, women perform similarly or slightly better than men while in quick bursts with great power no, suggesting a distinct gender dimorphism in metabolism. What molecular mechanisms are activated in man and woman in response to physical exercise? And in recovery, do they act similarly? What about the gender dimorphism in terms of proteomics, lipidomics and metabolomics? What benefits arise from physical activity as an expression and activation of molecular mechanisms? Unfortunately, till now, women are still under-represented compared to men in sport and exercise research, therefore, a comparison to highlight the gender specific adaptation to physical exercise is difficult to do. Generally, data on sex hormonal status are lacking. Instead, hormonal signalling together with muscle fiber type composition and oxidative stress are very important features that characterize gender response in sports. Thus, more studies are needed to fully understand the gender specific physiology and metabolism response during exercise.
In this context, this Research Topic seeks research articles and reviews on a broad range of topics in the area of “woman and man in physical activity” including:
· Gender muscle fiber type composition
· Gender related differences in cellular and molecular biomarkers (with particular relevance to those belonging to redox/inflammatory pathways) as a response to exercise (according to type, intensity, frequency and duration)
· Cardiometabolic response to different exercise mode, frequency, duration and intensity according to gender
· Gender differences in hormonal signals associated to exercise
Physical activity represents a well-known approach for the prevention and treatment of cardio-metabolic diseases. In fact, several metabolic changes occur in the organism during exercise, leading to the activation of adaptive mechanisms. These mechanisms aim to establish a new dynamic equilibrium especially at the metabolic level, which enhances health and optimize performance in elite athletes. However, exercise can have negative effects on health, e.g. on inflammatory and redox states. Excessive training and effort could lead to chronic fatigue, muscle damage and lower performance. Therefore, final beneficial/adverse exercise consequences are the result of the fine balance between the oxidative stress/inflammation induced by exercise that increases performance and health (hormesis), and the oxidative stress due to excessive effort that causes fatigue and muscle damage (overtraining).
Clearly, many variables (e.g. exercise mode, frequency, duration and intensity) may affect the results. Moreover, women and men exhibit many gender-specific anthropometric and physiologic characteristics, which may influence these adaptive mechanisms and therefore, performance. However, this aspect in particular has often been overlooked. For example, it is known that in long-term endurance exercise, women perform similarly or slightly better than men while in quick bursts with great power no, suggesting a distinct gender dimorphism in metabolism. What molecular mechanisms are activated in man and woman in response to physical exercise? And in recovery, do they act similarly? What about the gender dimorphism in terms of proteomics, lipidomics and metabolomics? What benefits arise from physical activity as an expression and activation of molecular mechanisms? Unfortunately, till now, women are still under-represented compared to men in sport and exercise research, therefore, a comparison to highlight the gender specific adaptation to physical exercise is difficult to do. Generally, data on sex hormonal status are lacking. Instead, hormonal signalling together with muscle fiber type composition and oxidative stress are very important features that characterize gender response in sports. Thus, more studies are needed to fully understand the gender specific physiology and metabolism response during exercise.
In this context, this Research Topic seeks research articles and reviews on a broad range of topics in the area of “woman and man in physical activity” including:
· Gender muscle fiber type composition
· Gender related differences in cellular and molecular biomarkers (with particular relevance to those belonging to redox/inflammatory pathways) as a response to exercise (according to type, intensity, frequency and duration)
· Cardiometabolic response to different exercise mode, frequency, duration and intensity according to gender
· Gender differences in hormonal signals associated to exercise
