Biology of Sport

Abstract

1/2026 vol. 43
Original paper

Energy expenditure and physical activity responses to football for health training in adults with metabolic syndrome: a randomized clinical trial

Athanasios Poulios 1
,
Lambros Tsiokanos 1
,
Dimitrios Draganidis 1
,
Konstantinos Papanikolaou 1, 2
,
Panagiotis Tsimeas 1
,
Niki Syrou 1
,
Georgios Metsios 3
,
Athanasios Chatzinikolaou 4
,
Georgios Ermidis 5
,
Athanasios Tsiokanos 1
,
Aggelos Pappas 1
,
Magni Mohr 5, 6
,
Peter Krustrup 5, 7, 8
,
Athanasios Z. Jamurtas 1
,
Ioannis G. Fatouros 1
  1. Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, University of Thessaly, Karies, Trikala, Greece
  2. Division of Gerontology, Geriatrics and Palliative Care, Department of Medicine, Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
  3. Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Thessaly, Trikala, Greece
  4. Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, Democritus University of Thrace, Komotini, Greece
  5. Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, SDU Sport and Health Sciences Cluster (SHSC), University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
  6. Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Faroe Islands, Torshavn, Faroe Islands
  7. Danish Institute for Advanced Study (DIAS), University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
  8. Sport and Health Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
Biol Sport. 2026;43:449–461
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2026.154146
Online publish date: 2025/10/01
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Confronting perimenopausal women’s knowledge of coronary heart disease with their health behaviours. Controversial role of hormone replacement therapy in the protection of coronary heart disease
This investigation determined the energy expenditure (EE), physical activity (PA), and physiological responses of football for health training (FFH). Twenty middle-aged males with metabolic syndrome (MetS) completed a 60-min FFH and a control trial using a randomized crossover design. The FFH load and EE were determined using a mobile gas analyzer, heart rate (HR) monitors, blood lactate measurements, a global positioning system, and accelerometry. Participants in FFH run a total distance of ~3.800 m (1,121 m at > 7 km/h, accelerations of 141 m, decelerations of 162 m) using a mean and maximal speed of 4.1 km/h and 20.6 km/h, respectively. FFH demonstrated a moderate-to-vigorous PA of > 41 min and a step count of ~4900. FFH increased (p < .001) the perceived exertion (55.8%, 13.6 ± 2.6), HRmean (151.1 ± 15.2 beats/min, 83.1 ± 10.9 %HRmax), lactate (80.8%, 5.4 ± 0.9 mmol/L), V ̇ O2 (88.6%, 1.9 ± 0.3 L/min, 79.9 ± 10.5% V ̇ O2max, 6.7 ± 0.8 METs), breathing frequency (32.6 ± 3.0 breaths/min), and respiratory exchange ratio (0.98 ± 0.03) compared to the control trial. Total EE reached 524.2 ± 81.0 kcals (mitochondrial energy production: 476.8 kcals; anaerobic energy production: AS 5.4 ± 1.0 kcals; EPOC: 42.0 ± 11.8 kcals). The present results suggest that FFH meets the international PA and EE standards for adults with MetS, with participants taking part in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) for approximately 68% of each session, rendering it a suitable and efficient strategy to lower cardiometabolic risk.

Keywords

Recreational football, Caloric expenditure, Blood lactate, Obesity, Dyslipidemia

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