Biomarker Testing for Athletes in 2024

Biomarker Testing for Athletes

Biomarker testing for athletes has become very valuable in the last decade. It helps athletes maximize their performance and monitor their health simultaneously.  Different proteins, metabolites, electrolytes, and other small molecules are important indicators of an athlete’s health. 

Biomarkers let athletes personalize their balance between training and recovery. Many athletes and professionals have turned to biomarker testing such as BodyK testing services for their improved performances.  

However, despite the growing popularity of biomarker testing, it has a few limitations. Single biomarkers often fail to explain complex physical states like injury risk or recovery. 

As biomarker testing advances, it will be able to provide more specific insights that can help athletes improve their performance soon.

However, the good news is that there are testing kits that can test 30+ biomarkers within minutes now.

Types of Biomarkers Used in Testing Athletes

Biomarkers are those biological molecules in your body found in blood or other body fluids that provide information about an individual’s health. For athletes, biomarkers track key indicators related to their performance and overall well-being.  

There are several types of biomarkers commonly used by athletes to provide details about various aspects of a person’s health.

Prognostic Biomarkers

These types of biomarkers give information about the likely course or outcome of a health condition, even without treatment. For athletes, prognostic biomarkers can help in injury risk assessment and recovery planning.

Diagnostic Biomarkers

Diagnostic biomarkers help detect specific conditions or diseases. In Athletes, they can be used to estimate metabolic imbalances. They also show overtraining syndromes and iron or hormonal deficiencies in athletes. 

Monitoring Biomarkers

Monitoring biomarkers are used to manage the effect of a treatment. It helps athletes track their recovery process easily.  For example, monitoring inflammation markers like C-reactive protein (CRP) can help athletes manage injury recovery. 

Predictive Biomarkers

These biomarkers specify how much an individual would respond to a specific treatment. In sports, these biomarkers can help athletes customize their personal training and nutritional plans. 

Pharmacodynamic/Response Biomarkers

These biomarkers show how the body responds to a medicine.  In athletes, these response biomarkers can be used to increase the use of medication that maximizes recovery. 

Read More: Simple Meal Plan for Insulin Resistance

Types of Biomarket Tests Used for Athletes

Blood Tests

Blood tests check for proteins, electrolytes, and other markers. Blood tests are accurate and helpful and they provide insight into the body’s internal processes. 

Urine Tests 

Urine tests help check hydration, electrolyte levels, and creatinine in athletes that show muscle breakdown. They are also helpful in checking kidney functions. 

Genetic Tests

Genetic tests give information about an athlete’s muscle type, recovery speed, and the injury risks he poses. This helps them create personalized training plans based on their genetics. 

Athletes will gain a better understanding of their health and performance by combining these biomarker tests. 

Athletes should avoid high-fat and high-protein foods for 24 hours before a biomarker test. Staying hydrated is important, so they should drink enough water as well. Also, they should skip intense workouts or exercise the day before testing to keep results consistent.

BodyK is strongly recommended to track biomarkers efficiently. Without wasting any time from their busy schedules, athletes can easily get screening results in just 7 minutes. 

Benefits of Biomarker Testing for Athletes

Biomarker testing for athletes has several benefits.

• It helps athletes identify their strengths and weaknesses. Athletes can then adjust their training programs accordingly for better results. 
• Athletes can reduce the risk of injury and overtraining by keeping track of muscle damage and inflammation in their bodies. 
• Athletes can create customized fitness plans allowing them to manage and know how their bodies respond to each treatment. 
• Athletes can adjust their diet by tracking nutrient deficiencies in their body and having better meal plans. 

How Biomarker Testing is Used in Various Sports

Biomarker testing is used in various sports to help athletes get a better idea of their health and safety. 

There are regulatory frameworks for biomarker testing in sports like the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and national regulations. Their guidelines ensure the accuracy and ethical use of biomarker tests, supporting athlete safety. 

Let us look at how biomarker testing is used in various sports. 

Lactate 

Lactate helps an athlete track his intensity range. It is useful for tracking exercise intensity during high-performance training.

In sports like soccer, lactate measurements and heart rate (HR) can help manage the rate of perceived exertion (RPE) during exercises. 

Urea 

Urea is used to track the workload endurance of athletes. Urea levels can sometimes show signs of fatigue, especially during tough cycling training. Urea testing is mostly used in high-intensity sports like cycling or endurance running.

Myoglobin 

Myoglobin helps detect muscle damage. It is often measured after intense activities like soccer games. Although, myoglobin levels usually return to normal within 24 hours, making it useful for spotting short-term muscle damage. 

Myoglobin helps sports experts understand how much muscle strain or injury has occurred in an athlete. 

White Blood Cell 

White blood cell (WBC) counts help check an athlete’s immune response. WBCs, including granulocytes and natural killer cells, rise after exercise as part of the body’s reaction to physical stress. 

This helps coaches track the athlete’s immune health and adjust training to avoid overtraining. 

C-reactive protein (CRP) 

CRP increases when there is inflammation in the body. It often goes up after tough activities like long races or soccer games. CRP levels are usually checked 24 hours after exercise to help doctors monitor an athlete’s recovery and give them a proper training plan.

Limitations of Biomarker Testing for Athletes

According to a workshop by the National Cancer Institute and the US Food and Drug Administration, biomarker testing for athletes has a few limitations. 

• Since every person has a different reaction to exercise and recovery, biomarker reliability is questioned. 
• There are multiple things an athlete’s performance depends on like training, diet, and environment which makes it hard to link changes only to biomarkers. 
• Advanced biomarkers can be pricey and not be available to all athletes. A cost-benefit analysis can show that investing in these tests may lead to better training outcomes and fewer medical expenses over time. 
• Some bio-markers only detect short-term issues. 
• Results can be hard to interpret without proper context and might lead someone in the wrong direction. 

People Also Ask

Biomarker testing for athletes is valuable as it improves their performance and health. While it ensures customized facilities, challenges like variability in responses and cost remain. However, as technology advances, biomarkers will likely become more useful and effective for athletes.