Positive Health Online

Abstract

PALAZZETTI and others, Laboratoire Physiologie des Adaptations, Performance Motrice et Sante, Universite de Nice-Sophia-Antipolis, France, have found that antioxidant supplementation preserves the antioxidant response during times of physical training and low antioxidant intake.

Background

The trial was designed to test whether an antioxidant supplement given before periods of intense exercise was able to protect athletes' antioxidant system and avoid adaptation failure.

Methodology

In this controlled double-blinded trial, a treatment group (n=7) and a placebo group (n=10) were given either an antioxidant mixture of Selenium, vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin E, or a placebo for 4 weeks of normal training. This was followed by 4 weeks of overload training. Dietary intakes of antioxidants were recorded.

Results

During the 4 weeks of normal training, blood levels of reduced glutathione, a marker for antioxidant function, increased in response to supplementation. They remained elevated during overload training. Plasma glutathione peroxidase, another marker of antioxidant function, was significantly more active in the study group than in the placebo group throughout the trial. Equally, the treatment group had increased red blood cell copper-zinc superoxide dismutase activity.

Conclusion

The antioxidant mixture helped to preserve the antioxidant system during overload-training induced stress in subjects with initially low antioxidant intakes. The protective effects are shown mostly by the alleviated muscle damage. The effects were observed at doses that can be provided by a diversified and well-balanced diet.

References

Palazzetti S, Rousseau AS, Richard MJ, Favier A, Margaritis I. Antioxidant supplementatioh preserve antioxidant response in physical training and low antioxidant intake. The British Journal of Nutrition 91 (1): 91-100, Jan 2004.