The Effect of One Bout of Intensive Judo Exercise on Select Hematological and Immunological Parameters in Adolescent Elite Judo Athletes

Exercise-related studies do not agree on changes in blood parameters regarding anemia and serum immunoglobulin concentration as adaptive immunity.

The current study aimed to investigate exercise-induced variations in hematological and immunological parameters in response to one bout of intensive judo exercise in adolescent elite judoka.

Venipuncture was performed on ten adolescent male Iranian elite judoka (age: 15.60 ± 0.69 years; body mass index: 24.15 ± 2.80 kg/m2) before and immediately after one bout of intensive judo protocol. Erythrocyte variables [red blood cell count (RBC), hemoglobin (HGB), hematocrit (HCT), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), red distribution width (RDW), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC)], platelets variables [platelet count (PLT), platelet distribution width (PDW), mean platelet volume (MPV), plateletcrit (PCT)], cellular immune variables [white blood cell (WBC), neutrophil (NEU), lymphocyte (LYM)], and humoral immune variables (IgM, IgA, IgG, IgE) were measured. Data were analyzed using Wilcoxon and paired-samples t-test, and P < 0.05 was considered significant.

After the plasma volume was corrected using the Dill and Costill equation, the results showed that RBC, HGB, HCT, MCHC, IgA, and IgM decreased significantly immediately after exercise. However, MCH, RDW, PLT, PDW, MPV, PCT, WBC, LYM, NEU, IgG, and IgE did not change significantly.

According to the findings, it can be concluded that intensive judo exercise results in transient anemia and suppression of humoral immune response among adolescent elite judoka.