A physiologist at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo is investigating how stress hormones affect the bodies and brains of student-athletes who repetitively fly to the U.S. continent for away games. Linc Gotshalk, a professor of kinesiology and exercise science and director Laboratory for Therapeutic Sciences at UH Hilo, is heading the study, which focuses on data collected from UH Hilo athletes.
“We’re on an island. That means that athletic teams who do not have home games here on the island, but all away games, they have to fly, and flight can be a perturbation, which means it can be a stress factor,” said Gotshalk, a musculoskeletal physiologist, anatomist and exercise physiologist.
Hawaiʻi’s travel challenges
Traditionally, Hawaiʻi’s college athletes are amongst the most-traveled, by far. Last season the UH Hilo women’s volleyball team played 12 away games and racked up more than 16,000 air miles. However, recent shake-ups in college athletics conferences are reshaping the playing field, and more athletes across the nation will face an increase in travel distances.
Flight effects on body
According to Gotshalk, two notable stressors that can impact the body are changes in cabin pressure in flight, and changes in time zones. In the study, UH Hilo student research assistants help Gotshalk hone in on the presence of cortisol which increases as humans are exposed to stressors.
“What we’re studying is stress physiology, which includes huge amounts of hormonal changes due to stress,” explained Gotshalk. “Stress in the short term is a needed thing in life, so you can run from the tiger, so you can fight a war, whatever it be. [But] psychogenic stress, where you’re not actually using energy, can pump stuff into the system that’s meant to be used. That, then, repeatedly ends up being a problem because stuff gets put in inappropriate places after a while.”
Excess amounts of cortisol can lead to chronic health conditions such as diabetes, Gotshalk said.
A closer look
Student researchers at UH Hilo compared data collected from female athletes on the campus’ volleyball team.
“My peers and I got hands-on experience of cortisol testing with the UH women’s volleyball team,” a student investigator involved with the study said. “We did anthropometric measurements and took saliva samples pre and post season on the volleyball team to see if there was a correlation between stress and traveling east.”
The research team found a correlation between cortisol rise, body measurements and biological characteristics however the results of the study are not yet conclusive and will be published at a later date.
For more go to UH Hilo Stories.
—By Evangeline Lemieux, a 2023 graduate with baccalaureate degrees in English and medical anthropology
