ABSTRACT
Numerous hormones have profound effects on the activities of enzymes regulating lipoprotein metabolism making it reasonable to find out the effect of exercise on the overall hormonal state. Plasma insulin concentrations can either increase, decrease, or stay unaltered during physical exercise, depending on the duration and intensity of the exercise and on the nutritional state and physical fitness of the subject. Blood glucagon levels are known to rise during physical exercise, the rise being higher during prolonged submaximal than during short-term maximal exercise. Closely connected to the exercise induced hormonal changes is now well-established increase in plasma catecholamines, norepinephrine and epinephrine, during exercise. Conflicting results have been reported on the effect of both long-term and short-term exercise on plasma glucocorticoids. This chapter focuses on sex hormones, androgens, and estrogens together with pituitary follitropin and luteinizing hormone, when exercise induced hormonal changes are dealt with, at least partly due to the widespread use of anabolic steroids in sports.
