Longitudinal NMR-based Metabolomics Analysis of Male Mountain Ultramarathon Runners: New Perspectives for Athletes Monitoring and Injury Prevention
Abstract Background The aim of this study was to explore how a metabolomic approach could provide valuable information on changes in the athletes' metabolome during a mountain ultramarathon race. To achieve this goal, we established a longitudinal cohort of athletes enrolled in the TOR des Géan...
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SpringerOpen
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Sports Medicine - Open |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-025-00879-w |
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| author | Matthieu Schoumacher Julie Nguyen Eric Brevers Arianna Cirillo Manon Campas Elodie Grifnée Justine Demeuse Loreen Huyghebaert Philippe Massonnet Thomas Dubrowski Joy Ledeck Stéphanie Peeters Grégoire P. Millet Pierre Croisille Jean-François Kaux Pascal de Tullio Etienne Cavalier Caroline Le Goff |
| author_facet | Matthieu Schoumacher Julie Nguyen Eric Brevers Arianna Cirillo Manon Campas Elodie Grifnée Justine Demeuse Loreen Huyghebaert Philippe Massonnet Thomas Dubrowski Joy Ledeck Stéphanie Peeters Grégoire P. Millet Pierre Croisille Jean-François Kaux Pascal de Tullio Etienne Cavalier Caroline Le Goff |
| author_sort | Matthieu Schoumacher |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background The aim of this study was to explore how a metabolomic approach could provide valuable information on changes in the athletes' metabolome during a mountain ultramarathon race. To achieve this goal, we established a longitudinal cohort of athletes enrolled in the TOR des Géants, a 330 km mountain ultramarathon with 24,000 m of elevation gain. Sixteen healthy male athletes (43.9 ± 10.1 years) were recruited, and blood samples were collected at four time points: pre-race, mid-race, post-race and after 72 h recovery. Using a 1H-NMR-based metabolomic approach, we evaluated metabolic changes that occur during both race effort and recovery, and correlated them with functional muscle, cardiac, inflammatory, and renal biomarkers already used in the clinic. The processed data were analyzed using multivariate analysis tools specific to longitudinal study design, and innovative pathway analysis was used for data interpretation. Results Mountain ultramarathon running significantly affected the metabolism and physiology of athletes. Multivariate analysis highlighted specific metabolites and functional biomarkers associated with prolonged exercise. Neither metabolite levels nor biomarker concentrations returned to baseline after 3 days of recovery. Finally, innovative pathway analysis shed light on specific metabolic changes resulting from mountain ultramarathon exercise. Conclusion In this study, we propose an NMR-based metabolomics strategy to assess exercise-associated metabolic changes during and after events such as the Tor des Géants. Using state-of-the-art data representation methods specific to metabolomics analysis, we demonstrated that such a methodology can provide a unique view of the biology associated with such extreme conditions. As this approach provides unique insights into the biology of extreme exercise, it holds promise for the development of new tools for athlete management. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-24eef52303b54fd3b4ef3b4b974a633f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2198-9761 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
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| series | Sports Medicine - Open |
| spelling | doaj-art-24eef52303b54fd3b4ef3b4b974a633f2025-08-20T03:24:32ZengSpringerOpenSports Medicine - Open2198-97612025-06-0111111410.1186/s40798-025-00879-wLongitudinal NMR-based Metabolomics Analysis of Male Mountain Ultramarathon Runners: New Perspectives for Athletes Monitoring and Injury PreventionMatthieu Schoumacher0Julie Nguyen1Eric Brevers2Arianna Cirillo3Manon Campas4Elodie Grifnée5Justine Demeuse6Loreen Huyghebaert7Philippe Massonnet8Thomas Dubrowski9Joy Ledeck10Stéphanie Peeters11Grégoire P. Millet12Pierre Croisille13Jean-François Kaux14Pascal de Tullio15Etienne Cavalier16Caroline Le Goff17Clinical Metabolomics Group (CliMe), Center for Interdisciplinary Research On Medicines (CIRM), University of LiègeClinical Metabolomics Group (CliMe), Center for Interdisciplinary Research On Medicines (CIRM), University of LiègeDepartment of Clinical Chemistry, University and University Hospital of LiègeClinical Metabolomics Group (CliMe), Center for Interdisciplinary Research On Medicines (CIRM), University of LiègeClinical Metabolomics Group (CliMe), Center for Interdisciplinary Research On Medicines (CIRM), University of LiègeDepartment of Clinical Chemistry, University and University Hospital of LiègeDepartment of Clinical Chemistry, University and University Hospital of LiègeDepartment of Clinical Chemistry, University and University Hospital of LiègeDepartment of Clinical Chemistry, University and University Hospital of LiègeDepartment of Clinical Chemistry, University and University Hospital of LiègeDepartment of Clinical Chemistry, University and University Hospital of LiègeDepartment of Clinical Chemistry, University and University Hospital of LiègeInstitute of Sport Sciences of the University of Lausanne (ISSUL)Univ-Lyon, UJM-Saint-Etienne, INSA‐Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, Inserm, CREATIS UMR 5220, U1206Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine & Sports Traumatology, SportS2, FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence, IOC Research Centre for Prevention of Injury and Protection of Athlete Health (ReFORM), FIMS Collaborative Centre of Sport Medicine, University and University Hospital of LiègeClinical Metabolomics Group (CliMe), Center for Interdisciplinary Research On Medicines (CIRM), University of LiègeClinical Metabolomics Group (CliMe), Center for Interdisciplinary Research On Medicines (CIRM), University of LiègeClinical Metabolomics Group (CliMe), Center for Interdisciplinary Research On Medicines (CIRM), University of LiègeAbstract Background The aim of this study was to explore how a metabolomic approach could provide valuable information on changes in the athletes' metabolome during a mountain ultramarathon race. To achieve this goal, we established a longitudinal cohort of athletes enrolled in the TOR des Géants, a 330 km mountain ultramarathon with 24,000 m of elevation gain. Sixteen healthy male athletes (43.9 ± 10.1 years) were recruited, and blood samples were collected at four time points: pre-race, mid-race, post-race and after 72 h recovery. Using a 1H-NMR-based metabolomic approach, we evaluated metabolic changes that occur during both race effort and recovery, and correlated them with functional muscle, cardiac, inflammatory, and renal biomarkers already used in the clinic. The processed data were analyzed using multivariate analysis tools specific to longitudinal study design, and innovative pathway analysis was used for data interpretation. Results Mountain ultramarathon running significantly affected the metabolism and physiology of athletes. Multivariate analysis highlighted specific metabolites and functional biomarkers associated with prolonged exercise. Neither metabolite levels nor biomarker concentrations returned to baseline after 3 days of recovery. Finally, innovative pathway analysis shed light on specific metabolic changes resulting from mountain ultramarathon exercise. Conclusion In this study, we propose an NMR-based metabolomics strategy to assess exercise-associated metabolic changes during and after events such as the Tor des Géants. Using state-of-the-art data representation methods specific to metabolomics analysis, we demonstrated that such a methodology can provide a unique view of the biology associated with such extreme conditions. As this approach provides unique insights into the biology of extreme exercise, it holds promise for the development of new tools for athlete management.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-025-00879-wExercise metabolismInjury preventionNMR metabolomicsPersonalized monitoringUltramarathon |
| spellingShingle | Matthieu Schoumacher Julie Nguyen Eric Brevers Arianna Cirillo Manon Campas Elodie Grifnée Justine Demeuse Loreen Huyghebaert Philippe Massonnet Thomas Dubrowski Joy Ledeck Stéphanie Peeters Grégoire P. Millet Pierre Croisille Jean-François Kaux Pascal de Tullio Etienne Cavalier Caroline Le Goff Longitudinal NMR-based Metabolomics Analysis of Male Mountain Ultramarathon Runners: New Perspectives for Athletes Monitoring and Injury Prevention Sports Medicine - Open Exercise metabolism Injury prevention NMR metabolomics Personalized monitoring Ultramarathon |
| title | Longitudinal NMR-based Metabolomics Analysis of Male Mountain Ultramarathon Runners: New Perspectives for Athletes Monitoring and Injury Prevention |
| title_full | Longitudinal NMR-based Metabolomics Analysis of Male Mountain Ultramarathon Runners: New Perspectives for Athletes Monitoring and Injury Prevention |
| title_fullStr | Longitudinal NMR-based Metabolomics Analysis of Male Mountain Ultramarathon Runners: New Perspectives for Athletes Monitoring and Injury Prevention |
| title_full_unstemmed | Longitudinal NMR-based Metabolomics Analysis of Male Mountain Ultramarathon Runners: New Perspectives for Athletes Monitoring and Injury Prevention |
| title_short | Longitudinal NMR-based Metabolomics Analysis of Male Mountain Ultramarathon Runners: New Perspectives for Athletes Monitoring and Injury Prevention |
| title_sort | longitudinal nmr based metabolomics analysis of male mountain ultramarathon runners new perspectives for athletes monitoring and injury prevention |
| topic | Exercise metabolism Injury prevention NMR metabolomics Personalized monitoring Ultramarathon |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-025-00879-w |
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