Some investigators have monitored the urinary cortisol-to-cortisone ratio as a measure of overtraining.
Basis: The ratio of urinary cortisol-to-cortisone ratio can detect an acute phase response that is reflective of overtraining.
Parameters:
(1) urine cortisol concentration in ng per mg creatinine
(2) urine cortisone concentration in ng per mg creatinine
urine cortisol-to-cortisone ratio =
= (urine cortisol) / (urine cortisone)
Interpretation:
• An increase in the ratio is associated with overtraining, fatigue and reduced performance.
Practical concerns:
(1) Spot urine collections are more convenient but may not reflect variation in steroid release.
(2) 24-hour urine specimens better reflect steroid release but are notoriously difficult to collect completely and accurately.
(3) The timing of urine collections relative to exercise sessions would influence results.
(4) A comparison of the ratio at baseline (prior to heavy training) versus post-exercise maybetter reflect the athlete's individual response.
(5) An appropriate protocol for monitoring over time could be expensive.
