TY - JOUR ID - 4052911 TI - Is testosterone responsible for athletic success in female athletes? SP - 19 AU - Ahmetov, I. I. AU - Roos, T. R. AU - Stepanova, A. A. AU - Biktagirova, E. M. AU - Semenova, E. A. AU - Shchuplova, I. S. AU - Bets, L. V. PB - Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom PY - 2019 LA - English M3 - biological and medical sciences M3 - endurance sports M3 - sport games M3 - strength and speed sports M3 - technical sports M3 - combat sports KW - female KW - hormone KW - performance factor KW - performance requirement KW - speed KW - biochemistry KW - endurance events KW - strength-speed strength event KW - rowing KW - cross-country skiing KW - marathon running KW - swimming KW - triathlon KW - shorttrack KW - orthopedics KW - biathlon KW - long distance running KW - middle distance running KW - flatwater canoe racing KW - inline-skating KW - speed skating KW - badminton KW - water-polo KW - volleyball KW - handball KW - equestrian sport KW - freestyle skiing KW - yachting KW - diving KW - luge KW - synchronized swimming KW - skeleton KW - snowboarding KW - modern pentathlon KW - archery KW - shooting KW - fencing KW - figure skating KW - icehockey KW - wrestling KW - alpine skiing KW - track and field KW - jump KW - apparatus gymnastics KW - multiple event KW - weightlifting KW - sprint KW - short-distance running KW - cycling KW - short-term endurance KW - long-term endurance KW - medium-time endurance AB - The aim of this study is to determine the interrelationship between the resting serum testosterone (T) levels (an inherited trait) of female athletes from different types of sporting events and their athletic success. The study involves 599 Russian international-level female athletes (95 highly elite, 190 elite, and 314 sub-elite) and 298 age-matched female controls. All subjects were age 16-35 years old and to the best of our knowledge have always tested negative for performance enhancing substances. The athlete cohort was stratified into four groups according to event duration, distance, and type of activity: 1) endurance athletes, 2) athletes with mixed activity, 3) speed/strength athletes, and 4) sprinters. Athletic success was measured by determining the level of achievement of each athlete. The mean (SD) T levels of athletes and controls were 1.65 (0.87) and 1.76 (0.6) nmol/L (P=0.057) with ranges of 0.08-5.80 and 0.38-2.83 nmol/L in athletes and controls, respectively. No significant differences in T levels were found between different groups of athletes. T levels were positively correlated (r=0.62, P<0.0001) with athletic success in sprinters (runners, cyclists, kayakers, speed skaters, swimmers). Moreover, none of the sub-elite sprinters had T > 1.9 nmol/L, while 50% of elite and highly elite sprinters had T > 1.9 nmol/L (95% CI: 2.562-862.34; OR=47.0; P<0.0001). We do not observe the benefits of having high T levels for success in other groups of athletes. Conversely, highly elite middle-distance (P=0.235) and mixed activity athletes (P=0.096) tended to have lower T levels than less successful athletes. Our data suggest that the measurement of the serum T levels significantly correlates with athletic success in sprinters but not other types of athletes and in the future may be useful in the prediction of sprinting ability. UR - https://doi.org/10.1101/557348 DO - 10.1101/557348 ER -