Óculos com lentes coloridas não influenciam o desempenho em exercício intermitente, mas elevam a testosterona sérica e melhora a recuperação da frequência cardíaca em futebolistas

Abstract

Because of increasing competitiveness in sports, new methods aiming performance improvement have been researched. Although with questionable methods, some studies suggest that exposure of individuals to different colors can takes positive results related to healing and recovery from trauma, depression, physical pain, changes in blood pressure and heart and respiratory rate. However, these benefits have not been proven in well-controlled studies in sports, generating doubts about its real effectiveness. The YoYo Intermittent Endurance Test level2 (YoYoIE2) relates well with the high intensity performance in soccer, is highly specific and sensitive to the effects of training and is therefore suitable for evaluation of this modality. Thus, the aim of this study was to analyze the effect of using colored glasses on performance and variables related to metabolism and the YoYoIE2’s relative intensity footballers. Ten amateur soccer players (21.1 ± 1.1 years of age; 71.9 ± 9.8 kg; 1.75 ± 0.05 m) performed voluntarily, in a randomized and balanced way, the YoYoIE2 in three different situations of exposure to color by glasses with colored lenses (blue, red and colorless [SHAM]) at intervals of 48 hours between sessions. In each session, court luminosity, quality of sleep, recovery status and heart rate (HR) at rest were recorded before the YoYoIE2 to control. Before and after the end of the YoYoIE2, blood samples (10 mL) were collected for analysis of serum testosterone and cortisol. To determine the internal intensity, HR, blood lactate and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were also recorded during and after YoYoIE2. The results showed that using blue glasses, HR recovery (1 min after the test) was faster and the testosterone/cortisol rate was lowest post-test, while the testosterone concentration was highest with red glasses compared to SHAM. The YoYoIE2’s performance and all other variables did not differ between the three conditions. Given the results, we conclude that the colored glasses do not influence the intermittent performance in amateur footballers, but blue lenses provide better acute HR recovery after YoYoIE2 (p< 0.05; ES = 0.55) than red and promoted a reduction on the rate of testosterone/cortisol (p <0.01; ES = 0.76), indicating a possible predominantly catabolic effect 30 minutes after the test, while the red color has increased the serum concentrations of testosterone (p <0.05; ES = 0.74), when compared to the colorless lens.