The Effects of Official Soccer Competition on Saliva Cortisol, Testosterone, and Immunoglobulin A in Male Players

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of official soccer competition on saliva cortisol, testosterone and immunoglobulin A in male players. For this purpose, 14 fixed players (age: 28.24±4.3 years) were equally selected from two opponent teams in 2009 Elimination Cup. Saliva samples at the rest and immediately after the first half time, before and after the second half time were collected and concentration of cortisol and testosterone through radioimmunoassay procedure and concentration of immunoglobulin through a nephelometry procedure were measured. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance of repeated measures and paired t test at P≤0.05. Results of this study showed that the official soccer competition significantly influenced saliva cortisol, testosterone, and immunoglobulin A in male players (P<0.001). This finding suggests that official soccer competition may results in decreased concentrations of immunoglobulin A in male players and expose them to the upper respiratory tract infection.