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Repeated Sprints in Fasted State Impair Reaction Time Performance |
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| Authors: | Anissa Cherif Romain Meeusen Abdulaziz Farooq Walid Briki Mohamed Amine Fenneni Karim Chamari |
| Affiliation: | 1. Athlete Health and Performance Research Center, Aspetar-Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha, Qatar;2. Human Physiology Research Group, Faculty of Physical Education and Physiotherapy Free University of Brussel, Brussels, Belgium;3. Human Physiology Research Group, Faculty of Physical Education and Physiotherapy Free University of Brussel, Brussels, Belgium;4. School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitation Sciences, James Cook University, Queensland, Australia;5. Qatar University, College of Arts and Sciences, Sport Science, Doha, Qatar;6. Laboratory of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine of Sousse, University of Sousse, Sousse, Tunisia |
| Abstract: | Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the effects of 3-day Islamic intermittent fasting (3d-IF) on cognitive performance and serum levels of neurotrophic factors (brain-derived neurotrophic factor [BDNF] and vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF]) before and after repeated sprints. Methods: Twenty-one physically active male Muslims (29.8 ± 5.9 years, exercising 4 ± 1.5 times/week) were randomly assigned to one of 2 experimental sessions: the control or nonfasting session (CS) or the fasting session (FS). These 2 sessions occurred 7 days apart in a counterbalanced crossover design. In both conditions, the test was performed at the same time of day, approximately 1 hour before sunset. In the FS, the test occurred on the third day of the 3d-IF and involved the participants' performance of the following: (a) two series of 5 maximal 5-second sprints and (b) 2 cognitive tasks: One Touch Stockings (OTS) and reaction time (simple and complex RTI). Results: In both conditions, the participants' reaction times during the RTI test were similar at the pre- and mid-exercise points, but postexercise, simple and complex reaction times were higher in FS compared to CS (p = 0.045, effect size [ES] = 0.21 and p = 0.006, ES = 0.41, respectively). However, OTS performance and serum levels of neurotrophic factors were not influenced by the 3d-IF. Conclusion: Simple and complex reaction times during the RTI test were negatively affected by the 3d-IF after 2 bouts of intensive repeated sprints. |
| Keywords: | Dietary restriction anaerobic exercise cognitive task memory brain |