SERUM URATE AND CHOLESTEROL LEVELS IN ENDURANCE-TRAINED VOLUNTEERS DURING ACUTE AND RIGOROUS BED REST CONDITIONS

The objective of this investigation was to determine serum urate and c holesterol concentrations in endurance trained volunteers during expos ure to acute (abrupt restriction of muscular activity) and rigorous be d rest conditions of seven days, The studies were performed on 30 long distance runners aged 22-25 who had a peak of VO2 of 65.5+/-2.7 ml . kg(-1) min(-1) on the average prior to their participation in the stud y The volunteers were divided into three equal groups: the volunteers in the Ist group were under normal ambulatory conditions (control subj ects), the volunteers of the 2nd group subjected to an acute bed rest regime (acute bed rested subjects) and the volunteers of the 3rd group were submitted to a rigorous bed rest regime (rigorous bed rested sub jects), All volunteers were on an average of 14.2 km/day before taking part in the study, The 2nd and 3rd groups of volunteers were kept und er a rigorous bed rest regime for seven days, During the prebed rest p eriod and during the actual bed rest periods (acute and rigorous bed r est periods) serum cholesterol and uric acid levels were measured, Dur ing the Ist day of acute and rigorous bed rest periods serum uric acid and cholesterol concentrations increased significantly (p less than o r equal to 0.05), on the 3rd day increased somewhat more and during th e 7th day they increased further, These changes were more pronounced d uring acute than rigorous bed rest conditions, It was concluded that i ncreases in uric acid and cholesterol concentrations in serum appear t o reflect more stresses that associated with acute than rigorous bed r est conditions in endurance trained volunteers.