Image 1_Serum metabolic signatures associated with running performance in healthy men living in a cold environment: insights into amino acid and energy metabolism.jpeg

Global metabolic profiles were explored using PCA and PLS-DA, followed by KEGG pathway enrichment analysis.</p>Results<p>A total of 141 males aged 28–40 years were included. After adjustment for ASMI, 10 differentially abundant metabolites were identified between the Good and Poor groups. Six metabolites showed higher adjusted abundances in the Good group, including cortisol (FDR = 0.031, log₂FC = 0.321, 95% CI: 0.155 to 0.488), whereas four metabolites showed higher adjusted abundances in the Poor group, including glutamic acid (FDR = 0.013, log₂FC = −0.262, 95% CI: −0.380 to −0.145).

Nominally significant enrichment was observed for nitrogen metabolism (P value = 0.011), arginine biosynthesis (P value = 0.026), butanoate metabolism (P value = 0.028), and histidine metabolism (P value = 0.030); however, no pathway remained significant after FDR correction.</p>Conclusions<p>Differences in running performance were associated with distinct serum metabolic patterns involving amino-acid and nitrogen metabolism, phospholipid metabolism, and stress- and redox-associated metabolic processes.

These findings may provide metabolic hypotheses on inter-individual differences in running performance and identify candidate metabolic pathways for further investigation.</p>