Aluminum Concentrations in Male and Female Football Players during the Season

María C Robles-Gil; Víctor Toro-Román; Marcos Maynar-Mariño; Jesús Siquier-Coll; Ignacio Bartolomé; Francisco J Grijota

doi:10.3390/toxics11110920

Aluminum Concentrations in Male and Female Football Players during the Season

Toxics. 2023 Nov 10;11(11):920. doi: 10.3390/toxics11110920.

Authors

María C Robles-Gil¹, Víctor Toro-Román¹, Marcos Maynar-Mariño¹, Jesús Siquier-Coll², Ignacio Bartolomé^{3

4}, Francisco J Grijota^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain.
² Department of Communication and Education, University of Loyola Andalucía, 41704 Sevilla, Spain.
³ Faculty of Health Sciences, Isabel I University, 09003 Burgos, Spain.
⁴ Faculty of Education, Pontifical University of Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain.

Abstract

Aluminum (Al) is one of the most abundant trace mineral elements in the earth's crust. Al is considered a potent neurotoxicant. Physical exercise could cause modifications in some trace mineral elements. On the other hand, there could be sex differences in the exposure and deposits of toxic mineral elements. The aim of the present study was to compare sex and seasonal differences in extracellular and intracellular Al concentrations in football players. The study involved 22 male and 24 female football players from the fifth and second national category, respectively. Three assessments were carried out during the season (beginning, middle and end). Al concentrations in plasma, urine, erythrocytes and platelets were determined. Male football players ingested more Al (p < 0.05). Higher plasma Al concentrations were reported in male football players (p < 0.01). On the other hand, in both groups, increases and decreases in Al in the plasma and urine were observed in the second and third assessment, respectively (p < 0.01). There were sex differences in platelet Al concentrations (p < 0.05). Plasma and platelet Al concentrations may be different between the sexes. Al concentrations may change over the course of a season in football players.

Keywords: athletes; erythrocyte; plasma; sex; training; urine.

Grants and funding

This study has been funded by the Department of Economy, Science and Digital Agenda of the Extremadura Regional Government for the realization of research projects in public I+D+I centers (IB20152). The funders played no role in the study design, the data collection and analysis, the decision to publish, or the preparation of the manuscript.