Galectin - 3 and Aldosterone Responses to An Altitude Cross-Country Skiing in Elite Endurance Skiers

Introduction: In endurance athletes, the tissue muscle fibrosis in the heart muscle and reduction in its function are more possible due to excessive physiological pressure. Galectin is a reflection of the possible fibrosis caused by excessive pressure on the myocardium structure. In the present study, galectin-3 and aldosterone levels in elite endurance skiers were evaluated. Methodology: Fourteen elite endurance skiers (mean age: 25 years; mean body fat: 14%) were selected for this study. Cross-country skiing activity was performed at the Dizin Ski School at an average altitude of 3140 meters. The cross-country skiing program included a skiing route for 8.5 km, a mean time of 65 minutes, and mean intensity of 70-90% of the maximal oxygen consumption. Two weeks after the skiing, the running on the treadmill with slope and distance and time spent similar to ski resort was performed. Galectin-3 and aldosterone were evaluated by ELISA method. Dependent t-test and independent t-test were used for examining the inter-group and intra-group changes by using SPSS 25 software. Results: The results showed that galectin- 3 (p = 0.004) and aldosterone (p = 0.009) levels were significantly higher after endurance skiing than those in treadmill running. Conclusion: Increasing physiological pressure on the heart caused by exposure to hypoxia and dehydration may lead to changes in the levels of aldosterone and galectin-3 as a fibrotic cellular marker.