ABSTRACT
Salivary measures are becoming increasingly important in the assessment of physiological biomarkers in sport and exercise. Hormones such as cortisol or dehydroepiandrosterone can be easily measured in saliva as meaningful markers for various exercise and training-related processes in the body. The salivary enzyme alpha-amylase (sAA) has been suggested to reflect stress-related changes in the body (e.g. Rohleder et al., 2004). Its secretion is known to be elicited by activation of the autonomic nervous system which controls the salivary glands. This chapter will provide an overview of the use of sAA as a biomarker reflecting (stress) responses to physical strain and the competitive demands in sport (see also Table 6.5).
