Complement and immunoglobulin levels in athletes and sedentary controls.

Eleven marathon runners (42.7 +/- 2.1 yrs, 54.2 +/- 1.8 ml.kg-1.min-1) and nine sedentary controls (44.2 +/- 1.2 yrs, 33.3 +/- 1.1 ml.kg-1.min-1) were studied during 30 min of rest, a graded maximal treadmill test using the Balke protocol, and 45 min of recovery to determine the effects of training and acute exercise on complement and immunoglobulin levels. Three baseline and five recovery blood samples were obtained in addition to repeated 5-min samples during exercise. Data for the exercise period were analyzed using a multiple regression approach to repeated measures ANOVA to allow comparison between groups on a percent VO2max basis. Groups did not differ during any of the three phases for IgG, IgA, or IgM. Resting levels of complement C3 (0.89 +/- 0.05 vs 1.27 +/- 0.10 g/L, P less than 0.001) and C4 (0.19 +/- 0.02 vs 0.29 +/- 0.03 g/L, P less than 0.001) were significantly lower in athletes than in controls. Exercise complement C3 [F(1,18) = 14.1, P = 0.001] and C4 [F(1,18) = 7.6, P = 0.013], and recovery complement [F(1,18) = 19.4, P less than 0.001] and C4 [F(1,18) = 13.5, P = 0.002] were also lower in the athletes than in sedentary controls. Acute increases during exercise were not associated with changes in catecholamines or cortisol. These data suggest that blood concentrations of C3 and C4, but not IgG, IgA, or IgM, are decreased during rest, graded maximal exercise, and recovery in marathon runners in comparison with sedentary controls.