Cortisol, Testosterone and Soccer: Hormonal Trends through a Competitive Season

Activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis usually occurs after physical and/or psychological stress with a magnitude modulated by both intensity of the stress episodes and individual variability. Competitive sport activities can be considered as a stressor, and many studies have investigated the dynamic relationships of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis finding different results. The aim of our study was to evaluate cortisol and testosterone levels in salivary samples from 16 soccer players over six training sessions and 18 matches. Resting levels of cortisol show pre-match levels greater than pre-training levels, with both increasing through the season. Cortisol changes following training and match sessions show lower variations for training sessions than matches. Through the season, training sessions show reduced increases in cortisol levels. For testosterone, pre-match and pre-training levels decrease through the season. Testosterone responses to training sessions and matches are different: training increases and matches decrease the testosterone levels. Through the season, matches result in reduced testosterone decreases. In conclusion, our data show that changes induced by training sessions and matches on the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal and hypothalamic–pituitary–testis axes are significantly different, and show different trends through the season. Therefore, evaluation of adrenal and testis function in soccer players should take into account differences between the intensity of effort in training sessions and matches, as well as the period of the season under study.