Prior Exercise, Antioxidant Supplementation Do Not Reduce Oxidative Stress in Trained Subjects
Both antioxidant supplementation and prior eccentric muscle work have been shown to reduce muscular oxidative stress and muscle injury in untrained subjects. A paper recently published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition reported the results of a study designed to determine whether these measures have similar effects in trained subjects.
Thirty-six men were divided into four groups: no prior exercise + placebo, prior exercise + placebo, no prior exercise + antioxidant supplement, and prior exercise + antioxidant supplement. All four groups completed a strenuous workout following their respective pre-treatments. Markers of muscle/cell injury (muscle performance, muscle soreness, C-reactive protein, and creatine kinase activity), as well as oxidative stress (blood protein carbonyls and peroxides) were measured before and through 48 hours of exercise recovery.
The researchers found that neither prior eccentric exercise nor prior antioxidant supplementation reduced oxidative stress or muscle injury. In fact, these measures couldn't have reduced oxidative stress because a strenuous resistance workout caused minimal oxidative stress in this group of trained men in the first place. |
