Athletes and nonathletes frequently consume too little water or fluids, affecting exercise performance as well as overall health. This book comprehensively reviews the aspects relating to body fluid balance, rehydration, and physical exercise. It provides background on body water balance and turnover, topics related to electrolyte balance, and sweating as the basis for thermoregulatory and fluid homeostasis during exercise. In addition, chapters cover body water balance evaluation and regulation; cardiovascular and metabolic responses to fluid imbalance; effects of dehydration on aerobic power, muscle strength, and cognitive function; fluid intake timing; and optimal beverage selection.

Exercise training provokes widespread transformations in the human body, requiring coordinated changes in muscle composition, blood flow, neuronal and hormonal signaling, and metabolism. These changes enhance physical performance, improve mental health, and delay the onset of aging and disease. Understanding the molecular basis of these changes is therefore important for optimizing athletic ability and for developing drugs that elicit therapeutic effects. Written and edited by experts in the field, this collection from Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine examines the biological basis of exercise from the molecular to the systemic levels. Contributors discuss how transcriptional regulation, cytokine and hormonal signaling, glucose metabolism, epigenetic modifications, microRNA profiles, and mitochondrial and ribosomal functions are altered in response to exercise training, leading to improved skeletal muscle, hippocampal, and cardiovascular function. Cross talk among the pathways underlying tissue-specific and systemic responses to exercise is also considered. The authors also discuss how the understanding of such molecular mechanisms may lead to the development of drugs that mitigate aging and disease. This volume will therefore serve as a vital reference for all involved in the fields of sports science and medicine, as well as anyone seeking to understand the molecular mechanisms by which exercise promotes whole-body health.

Research centering on blood flow in the heart continues to hold an important position, especially since a better understanding of the subject may help reduce the incidence of coronary arterial disease and heart attacks. This book summarizes recent advances in the field; it is the product of fruitful cooperation among international scientists who met in Japan in May, 1990 to discuss the regulation of coronary blood flow.

Now in its fully revised and expanded third edition, this comprehensive text represents a compilation of the critical endocrinology topics in the areas of sports medicine, kinesiology and exercise science, written by leading experts in the field. As in previous editions, the focus here is on the critical issues involved in understanding human endocrinology and hormonal workings with regards to physical activity, exercise and sport and how such workings impact the full range of medical conditions, overall health and physiological adaptation. Chapters included discuss the effect of exercise on the HPA axis, the GH-IGF-1 axis, thyroid function, diabetes, and the male and female reproductive systems, among other topics. Additional chapters present the current evidence on circadian endocrine physiology, exercise in older adults, exercise and hormone regulation in weight control, and the effects of overtraining in sports. Chapters brand new to this edition present the role of hormones in muscle hypertrophy, the effect of exercise on hormones in metabolic syndrome patients, how exercise impacts appetite-regulating hormones in clinical populations, and the relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S) condition.

This presentation describes various aspects of the regulation of tissue oxygenation, including the roles of the circulatory system, respiratory system, and blood, the carrier of oxygen within these components of the cardiorespiratory system. The respiratory system takes oxygen from the atmosphere and transports it by diffusion from the air in the alveoli to the blood flowing through the pulmonary capillaries. The cardiovascular system then moves the oxygenated blood from the heart to the microcirculation of the various organs by convection, where oxygen is released from hemoglobin in the red blood cells and moves to the parenchymal cells of each tissue by diffusion. Oxygen that has diffused into cells is then utilized in the mitochondria to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy currency of all cells. The mitochondria are able to produce ATP until the oxygen tension or PO2 on the cell surface falls to a critical level of about 4–5 mm Hg. Thus, in order to meet the energetic needs of cells, it is important to maintain a continuous supply of oxygen to the mitochondria at or above the critical PO2 . In order to accomplish this desired outcome, the cardiorespiratory system, including the blood, must be capable of regulation to ensure survival of all tissues under a wide range of circumstances. The purpose of this presentation is to provide basic information about the operation and regulation of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, as well as the properties of the blood and parenchymal cells, so that a fundamental understanding of the regulation of tissue oxygenation is achieved.

Understanding the influence and interaction between physical activity and the endocrine system are of paramount importance in dealing with a multitude of health problems. In Endocrinology of Physical Activity and Sport, renowned physicians and researchers provide a comprehensive and expanded update on the scientific, clinical and practical components of endocrinology as related to sport and exercise. The authors thoroughly review what is known about how such activity effects the endocrine system and how in turn these hormonal responses affect many other organs and systems of the body. In addition, aspects of endocrinology in non-glandular tissue which have endocrine actions are addressed; for example, adipocytes and the release of leptin and related adipocytokines. Further, a wide range of clinically related topics such as athletic amenorrhea, osteopenia, sarcopenia, and hypogonadism are included. This new edition critically integrates what is known about the complex interaction of the endocrine system in the sports context and will again prove immensely valuable to all physicians and clinical investigators treating those active in sports today.

A timely symposium entitled Body-Fluid Homeostasis: Transduction and Integration was held at Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil in 2011. This meeting was convened as an official satellite of a joint gathering of the International Society for Autonomic Neuroscience (ISAN) and the American Autonomic Society (AAS) held in Buzios, Rio de Janeiro. Broad international participation at this event generated stimulating discussion among the invited speakers, leading to the publication of Neurobiology of Body Fluid Homeostasis: Transduction and Integration. Drawn from the proceedings and filled with rich examples of integrative neurobiology and regulatory physiology, this volume: Provides updated research using human and animal models for the control of bodily fluids, thirst, and salt appetite Explores neural and endocrine control of body fluid balance, arterial pressure, thermoregulation, and ingestive behavior Discusses recent developments in molecular genetics, cell biology, and behavioral plasticity Reviews key aspects of brain serotonin and steroid and peptide control of fluid consumption and arterial pressure The book highlights research conducted by leading scientists on signal transduction and sensory afferent mechanisms, molecular genetics, perinatal and adult long-term influences on regulation, central neural integrative circuitry, and autonomic/neuroendocrine effector systems. The findings discussed by the learned contributors are relevant for a basic understanding of disorders such as heat injury, hypertension, and excess salt intake. A unique reference on the neurobiology of body fluid homeostasis, this volume is certain to fuel additional research and stimulate further debate on the topic.