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Puberty effects on NK cell responses to exercise and carbohydrate intake in boys

Brian W Timmons1, Mark A Tarnopolsky, Denis P Snider

  • 1Children's Exercise and Nutrition Centre, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
|May 5, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Puberty influences natural killer (NK) cell responses to strenuous exercise and carbohydrate intake. Increased CD69 expression on NK cells indicates heightened activation during recovery from physiological stress.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Exercise Physiology
  • Human Physiology

Background:

  • Younger individuals exhibit smaller natural killer (NK) cell perturbations during physiological stress compared to older individuals.
  • Previous studies indicated that children show reduced NK cell responses to strenuous exercise and carbohydrate (CHO) intake.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if puberty status affects the previously observed smaller NK cell perturbations in response to strenuous exercise and CHO intake in children.
  • To analyze the influence of pubertal development on NK cell subset dynamics during and after intense exercise with varying carbohydrate availability.

Main Methods:

  • Twenty 12-year-old boys were categorized into prepubertal (Tanner 1), early pubertal (Tanner 2), and pubertal (Tanner 3-5) groups.
  • Participants completed a 60-minute cycling exercise at 70% VO2max, consuming either a 6% carbohydrate solution (CT) or flavored water (WT).
  • Blood samples were collected at rest, during exercise, and during recovery to analyze NK cell subsets (CD3(-)CD56(dim), CD3(-)CD56(bright)) and CD69 expression.

Main Results:

  • A significant interaction between puberty, carbohydrate intake, and exercise was observed for the proportion of CD56(dim) NK cells.
  • CD56(dim) cell counts were lower with carbohydrate intake (CT) compared to water (WT).
  • The proportion and counts of CD56(bright) NK cells were influenced by pubertal status, but not by carbohydrate intake. CD69 expression on NK cells increased during recovery, indicating enhanced activation.

Conclusions:

  • Puberty plays a role in modulating the distribution of NK cell subsets during strenuous exercise and carbohydrate consumption.
  • Increased CD69 expression on NK cells post-exercise suggests an elevated activation status in response to physiological stress during recovery.
  • These findings highlight the developmental changes in immune cell responses to exercise stress across different pubertal stages.
Abstract

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