effects of carbohydrate supplements on exercise-induced menstrual dysfunction and ovarian subcellular structural changes in rats

Background: Exercise-associated menstrual dysfunction (EAMD) is a common health problem in female athletes as a part of female athlete triad (FAT), a condition related to low energy availability. In this study, we explored the possibility that carbohydrate supplements can improve the status of EAMD and prevent exercise-induced ovarian injury in a FAT rat model. This research aimed to provide experimental evidence with regard to the relationship of energy intervention and EAMD. Methods: Forty-five female Sprague–Dawley rats (2 months old) were randomly divided into five experimental groups: control group (C), 9-week exercise as model for EAMD (E), post-EAMD recovery group (R), oligosaccharide intervention group (O), and glucose intervention group (G). All rats were sacrificed at the end of 9 weeks. Serum samples were collected for measuring gonadotropin releasing hormone, follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, 17β-estradiol and progesterone levels. The ovaries were taken for investigation of exercise- and carbohydrate-induced follicular subcellular structure changes. Results: Exercise induced irregular menstrual cycles and ovary subcellular structural damages, such as swollenness of mitochondria in rats from groups E and R. Both glucose and oligosaccharide supplements restored well-differentiated mitochondria in the ovarian follicular cells, and a significant improvement of endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi in swollenness in theca cells in groups O and G compared to groups C, E, and R. There was no difference in mitochondria subcellular structural changes between groups O and G. Group E showed attenuation of serum levels of 17β-estradiol and progesterone compared to C. There were no differences of 17β-estradiol serum levels among groups O, G, and R, while group G showed a lower level of progesterone than C. Conclusion: Female adult rats with 9-week continuous exercise can cause menstrual dysregulation as a model for EAMD. Post-EAMD intervention with glucose and oligosaccharide intake can normalize the menstrual cycle, restore the follicular subcellular structure, and reverse the exercise-induced reduction of ovary sex hormones. It suggests a positive feedback of hypothalamus–pituitary–ovary axis might be involved in the molecular mechanisms of energy intake in treating EAMD.