Increases in Aldosterone Precede Those of Cortisol during Graded Exercise

摘要

Aldosterone and cortisol are the two major hormones secreted by the human adrenal cortex. Exercise is one of the stresses known to increase the levels of both of these hormones, although the intensity of exercise needed to elicit secretion is different for the two. The purpose of this study was to determine the intensity threshold needed to elicit increases in plasma levels of aldosterone and cortisol during graded exercise in humans. Both potassium and angiotensin II were significantly correlated with aldosterone during exercise, which suggests that both are important stimuli for aldosterone secretion during graded exercise. Aldosterone and cortisol were both increased by graded exercise to exhaustion. Aldosterone was increased at exercise intensities greater than 60% VO2 max. The increase in aldosterone preceded cortisol increase, a finding which is consistent with other studies of stimulus-secretion coupling in the adrenal cortex.