Endocrine responses of the stress system to different types of exercise.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review without systematic search methodology or original human data
PubMed 36242699 · doi:10.1007/s11154-022-09758-1
What was done
The authors conducted a review examining the adaptive responses of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, catecholamines, cytokines, growth hormone, and prolactin to acute bouts and regular training across three exercise modalities: endurance, high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE), and resistance exercise.
What was found
The abstract reports qualitative observations without numerical data or effect sizes. Acute endurance exercise increases cortisol, whereas regular endurance training is associated with relatively increased basal cortisolemia. Peak growth hormone responses are similar between acute and regular exercise. Regular HIIE reduces basal cortisol levels and dampens catecholamine responses relative to a single bout. Resistance exercise stimulates the HPA axis depending on volume and intensity, with acute bouts causing mild activation and regular resistance training in older adults leading to reduced resting cytokine concentrations and attenuated inflammatory responses.
Why it matters
Characterizing how different exercise formats alter endocrine stress pathways helps guide personalized exercise prescriptions to optimize physiological adaptations and avoid excessive stress or maladaptation.
Limits
The abstract provides no numerical data, effect sizes, search methodology, or study counts. As a narrative review, it lacks systematic screening and cannot establish pooled quantitative effect sizes or control for heterogeneity across diverse exercise protocols and participant populations.
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