lutherblsstt
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A very interesting article appeared in this month's issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
Luigi and colleagues from the University of Rome have been conducting studies investigating the effects of taking Viagra on exercise performance. They have found before that there are not effects on VO2max or anaerobic performance, but in their most recent study, they did find that sex steroid secretion (or at least, circulating levels) is enhanced. Because of that reason, training while on Viagra could potentially lead to a boosted training effect. To be complete, they did not really use Viagra, but Cialis (active ingredient: tadalafil) its longer acting similar component. However, I use the word Viagra because of its similarity and because people are more familiar with this term. One point of caution; cortisol (also a steroid) also increased, and even more so than testosterone. Cortisone though antagonizes some of the effects of testosterone, hence why the ration testosterone to cortisol has been used as an indicator of anabolism or catabolism and overtraining. You want a high ratio when you train hard, and a decreasing ratio (in men) may be being at risk for overtraining. Cortisol though having strong anti-inflammatory potential also has the ability to weaken the muscle.
Here's the study:
Di Luigi L, Baldari C, Sgrò P, Emerenziani GP, Gallotta MC, Bianchini S, Romanelli F, Pigozzi F, Lenzi A, Guidetti L.: The type 5 phosphodiesterase inhibitor tadalafil influences salivary cortisol, testosterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate responses to maximal exercise in healthy men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 93(9):3510-3514, 2008.
Unit of Endocrinology, Department of Health Sciences, University of Rome Foro Italico, Piazza Lauro de Bosis, 15, 00194 Rome, Italy. [email protected]
CONTEXT: Physical exercise-related stress activates hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis; nitric oxide is one of the mediators of the HPA axis response to stress, and phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors influences nitric oxide-linked biological activities. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to investigate whether a single oral long half-life phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (tadalafil) administration influences the HPA axis response to exercise-related stress. DESIGN: This was a double-blind, cross-over trial. PARTICIPANTS: Participants included nine healthy male athletes. INTERVENTIONS: All subjects performed a maximal exercise test in normoxia, after which they received a single oral administration of tadalafil or placebo. Then after a 2-wk washout period, they were crossed over and repeated the exercise test. Each subject was his own control. Salivary collections, for steroid evaluations [cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS), testosterone] and respective ratio calculation (DHEAS to cortisol, testosterone to cortisol, testosterone to DHEAS), were performed before each exercise (Pre-Ex), immediately after (Post-Ex), and at 30 min during recovery. RESULTS: As expected, mean salivary cortisol concentration increased immediately after exercise after both tadalafil and placebo (P = 0.014 and P =0.036 vs. Pre-Ex, respectively); however, the cortisol increase was significantly higher after tadalafil administration (P = 0.034 vs. placebo). Furthermore, an increased salivary testosterone after exercise was observed only after tadalafil administration (P = 0.029 vs. Pre-Ex). No effects of either exercise and/or tadalafil administration on salivary DHEAS concentrations were observed. DHEAS to cortisol and testosterone to cortisol ratios significantly decreased after exercise after tadalafil administration (P = 0.037, and P = 0.02 vs. placebo, respectively). CONCLUSION: Tadalafil administration amplified the salivary cortisol and testosterone responses to a maximal exercise-related stress in healthy trained humans.
Thus, it will remain to be seen what the end outcome is of all this, but I nevertheless thought it was interesting.
Luigi and colleagues from the University of Rome have been conducting studies investigating the effects of taking Viagra on exercise performance. They have found before that there are not effects on VO2max or anaerobic performance, but in their most recent study, they did find that sex steroid secretion (or at least, circulating levels) is enhanced. Because of that reason, training while on Viagra could potentially lead to a boosted training effect. To be complete, they did not really use Viagra, but Cialis (active ingredient: tadalafil) its longer acting similar component. However, I use the word Viagra because of its similarity and because people are more familiar with this term. One point of caution; cortisol (also a steroid) also increased, and even more so than testosterone. Cortisone though antagonizes some of the effects of testosterone, hence why the ration testosterone to cortisol has been used as an indicator of anabolism or catabolism and overtraining. You want a high ratio when you train hard, and a decreasing ratio (in men) may be being at risk for overtraining. Cortisol though having strong anti-inflammatory potential also has the ability to weaken the muscle.
Here's the study:
Di Luigi L, Baldari C, Sgrò P, Emerenziani GP, Gallotta MC, Bianchini S, Romanelli F, Pigozzi F, Lenzi A, Guidetti L.: The type 5 phosphodiesterase inhibitor tadalafil influences salivary cortisol, testosterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate responses to maximal exercise in healthy men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 93(9):3510-3514, 2008.
Unit of Endocrinology, Department of Health Sciences, University of Rome Foro Italico, Piazza Lauro de Bosis, 15, 00194 Rome, Italy. [email protected]
CONTEXT: Physical exercise-related stress activates hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis; nitric oxide is one of the mediators of the HPA axis response to stress, and phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors influences nitric oxide-linked biological activities. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to investigate whether a single oral long half-life phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (tadalafil) administration influences the HPA axis response to exercise-related stress. DESIGN: This was a double-blind, cross-over trial. PARTICIPANTS: Participants included nine healthy male athletes. INTERVENTIONS: All subjects performed a maximal exercise test in normoxia, after which they received a single oral administration of tadalafil or placebo. Then after a 2-wk washout period, they were crossed over and repeated the exercise test. Each subject was his own control. Salivary collections, for steroid evaluations [cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS), testosterone] and respective ratio calculation (DHEAS to cortisol, testosterone to cortisol, testosterone to DHEAS), were performed before each exercise (Pre-Ex), immediately after (Post-Ex), and at 30 min during recovery. RESULTS: As expected, mean salivary cortisol concentration increased immediately after exercise after both tadalafil and placebo (P = 0.014 and P =0.036 vs. Pre-Ex, respectively); however, the cortisol increase was significantly higher after tadalafil administration (P = 0.034 vs. placebo). Furthermore, an increased salivary testosterone after exercise was observed only after tadalafil administration (P = 0.029 vs. Pre-Ex). No effects of either exercise and/or tadalafil administration on salivary DHEAS concentrations were observed. DHEAS to cortisol and testosterone to cortisol ratios significantly decreased after exercise after tadalafil administration (P = 0.037, and P = 0.02 vs. placebo, respectively). CONCLUSION: Tadalafil administration amplified the salivary cortisol and testosterone responses to a maximal exercise-related stress in healthy trained humans.
Thus, it will remain to be seen what the end outcome is of all this, but I nevertheless thought it was interesting.
