Study of Ocean Rowing Muscle Metabolism. 1. What Effect Does Rowing 3000 Miles Across Atlantic Ocean Have on Calf Muscle Size? 2. In the Catabolic State of Extreme Endurance, is Muscle Loss Uniform or Can the Human Body Select Depending on Load and Nutrient Availability?

NCT ID: NCT05729841

Last Updated: 2024-05-21

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Total Enrollment: 60 participants
• Study Classification: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2020-11-28
• Study Completion Date: 2024-04-01

Brief Summary

Little is known on the human adaptation to extreme endurance and with the increasing popularity in long duration events we seek to provide insight into the physiological and metabolic adaptation processes of ocean rowing.

Rowing 12-18 hours a day will illicit a high energy expenditure and anecdotally people have lost large amounts of body weight and variable amounts of muscle mass, particularly in the lower limbs. This may provide insights and a potential new model to to study muscle unloading.

Detailed Description

Previous research has investigated factors determining muscle loss through bed rest and limb immobilisation. These methods are limited in that some do not include inflammation or changes in nutrition, which have been shown to be key drivers of muscle loss. These studies aim to investigate a potentially new model of muscle unloading.

Ocean rowing is an ultra-endurance sport where people spend 35-90 days at sea. Usually rowing for a minimum of 12 hours a day, in a 2-hour on/off shift pattern with daily food rations. Rowers lose body and muscle mass. There is likely to be low-grade inflammation, nutritional deficit, fatigue and rowers do not stand up for the entire crossing. Part 1 aims to quantify this muscle loss by inviting rowers in the annual 3000 mile Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge 2020 to take part. While part 2 aims to continue the work by measuring upper and core muscles as well as lower limb muscles from the first study with the aim of understanding how the body allocates resources in a hypocaloric, high energy expenditure environment.

Muscle mass of the lower limbs of the rowers will be measured with ultrasound, as well as body mass, body composition, energy expenditure and nutritional intake, the week before the race and immediately after arrival in Antigua. As well as adding novel insights to the knowledge base around factors affecting ultra endurance performance, the results will then be used to inform future intervention studies aimed at preventing muscle loss.

Conditions

Exercise

Study Design

• Observational Model Type: COHORT
• Study Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE

Interventions

Ocean row

the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge annual ocean rowing race.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Taking part in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge 2020 and 2021

Exclusion Criteria

• lower limb amputee musculoskeletal, metabolic, neurological disease pacemaker fitted

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

University of Exeter

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Francis Stephens

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Exeter

Locations

University of Exeter

Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom

Countries

United Kingdom

Other Identifiers

201021-A-08

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id