THE EFFECT OF SUBMAXIMAL EXERCISE ON SALIVARY α-AMYLASE ACTIVITY

Cyran MQ, Wise JL, Yang C, Drake CR. THE EFFECT OF SUBMAXIMAL EXERCISE ON SALIVARY α-AMYLASE ACTIVITY. Journal of Undergraduate Kinesiology Research 2012;8(1):1-8. Purpose: Salivary α-amylase (sAA) has been suggested as a non-invasive biomarker of exercise intensity. Previous research has concluded differences in exercise intensities for stimulation of sAA. The aim of the present study is to determine the differences in sAA activity between pre- and postsubmaximal exercise amongst various ages Methods: The present study recruited 12 apparently healthy individuals between the ages of 21-50 years. After completion of a 5-min warm-up, each participant would then exercise using a protocol at a submaximal intensity (70% HRmax) for 25 minutes using a treadmill modality. Salivary α-amylase was then collected pre- and post-exercise using a Salimetrics Oral Swab (SOS). Samples were shipped to Salimetrics for analysis. Results: Individuals varied in age but a significant increase (t= -3.89, p < .05) was observed between pre- and post-exercise sAA values with a mean difference of 59.8 ±46.10 U/mL. Furthermore, similarities in exercise induced sAA secretion were seen amongst participants comparable in age. Conclusion: Exercise has shown to increase sAA at specific submaximal intensities five minutes post exercise among a population varying in age.