The Effects of Altitude on the Hormonal Response to Physical Exercise

The neuroendocrine system is deeply involved in the adaptive processes to altitude hypoxia, which require a fine-tuned modulation in the homeostatic steady state of several endocrine and metabolic functions. Physical exercise per se is well known to induce complex hormonal responses, which greatly depend on the intrinsic characteristics of the exercise bout. Moreover, several variables, such as energy balance and environmental factors, can further influence these metabolic and endocrine adaptive processes. Therefore, the overall effect of altitude and physical exercise on endocrine functions has been studied for many years, although this research field still hides numerous methodological pitfalls that prevent final conclusions from being drawn.