2024: anticipating record-breaking performances in front crawl swimming through mathematical analysis

Background The outstanding performance of an elite athlete might be associated with changes in their blood metabolic profile. The aims of this study were to compare the blood metabolic profiles between moderate- and high-power and endurance elite athletes and to identify the potential metabolic pathways underlying these differences. Methods Metabolic profiling of serum samples from 191 elite athletes from different sports disciplines (121 high- and 70 moderate-endurance athletes, including 44 high- and 144 moderate-power athletes), who participated in national or international sports events and tested negative for doping abuse at anti-doping laboratories, was performed using non-targeted metabolomics-based mass spectroscopy combined with ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography. Multivariate analysis was conducted using orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis. Differences in metabolic levels between high- and moderate-power and endurance sports were assessed by univariate linear models. Results Out of 743 analyzed metabolites, gamma-glutamyl amino acids were significantly reduced in both high-power and high-endurance athletes compared to moderate counterparts, indicating active glutathione cycle. High-endurance athletes exhibited significant increases in the levels of several sex hormone steroids involved in testosterone and progesterone synthesis, but decreases in diacylglycerols and ecosanoids. High-power athletes had increased levels of phospholipids and xanthine metabolites compared to moderate-power counterparts. Conclusions This pilot data provides evidence that high-power and high-endurance athletes exhibit a distinct metabolic profile that reflects steroid biosynthesis, fatty acid metabolism, oxidative stress, and energy-related metabolites. Replication studies are warranted to confirm differences in the metabolic profiles associated with athletes’ elite performance in independent data sets, aiming ultimately for deeper understanding of the underlying biochemical processes that could be utilized as biomarkers with potential therapeutic implications. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s40798-017-0114-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The energy cost of the forms of locomotion discussed throughout this article is summarized in Table 9. This table, as well as the preceding sections of this article, are designed to provide a rather comprehensive and simple set of information for potential readers: medical doctors, who should be able to prescribe to their patients (obese, hypertensive, cardiac, etc.) the correct amount and type of exercise, thus making use of exercise as of any other drug, of which it is imperative to know posology and contraindications; athletes, trainers, and sportsmen in general, who should gear correctly their diet to the type and amount of physical exercise; physical educators, who should be aware of the specific characteristics of the exercise modes they propose to their pupils, as a function of their sex, age, and athletic capacity. However, besides these practical applications, the notions discussed throughout this article bear also a more general interest. Indeed, they allow a better understanding of the motion of man, that is, of the only machine, which besides moving about, also tries to understand how he does it.