Exercise is healthy, but can also stress the body. Four new studies show how nutrients helped athletes heal from strenuous exercise.

In a coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) study, 18 highly trained athletes took 300 mg of CoQ10 per day, or a placebo, for 20 days and, on six of those days, trained strenuously for five-and-a-half hours. Researchers drew blood before, during, and after the study and found that on the 3^rd and 5^th days, all the athletes had signs of muscle wear-and-tear and inflammation, but the CoQ10 group had significantly lower levels than the placebo group.

In a green tea study, 14 healthy men, aged 19 to 30, drank a cup of green tea (with 2 grams of green tea leaves), or water, three times per day during seven days of weight-training exercise, and then performed a bench-press exercise test. Researchers found that, compared to placebo, signs of inflammation were 64 percent lower in the green tea group, and glutathione—which protects cells from oxidative damage—was 37 percent higher. Doctors noted that the athletes ate an unbalanced diet with too little vitamin E and carotenoids.

In a running study, 36 very fit physical-education students, average age 22, took 400 mg of vitamin E, 1,000 mg of vitamin C, these two vitamins together, or a placebo, per day for three weeks. In sprint and duration running tests, all three supplement groups significantly improved oxygen capacity (aerobic power) compared to placebo.

In a marathon study, 17 athletes took a low-dose combination of supplements, including 150 mg of vitamin C, 24 mg of vitamin E, and 4.8 mg of beta-carotene per day, or a placebo, before and during a 6-day, 151-mile foot race in the Sahara Desert. Researchers drew blood before, during, and after the race and found that during the run, signs of cell damage were lower in the supplement group than in the placebo group. After three weeks of taking supplements, the supplement group had significantly higher blood levels of vitamin E, beta-carotene, and vitamin A (retinol), compared to placebo.

Reference: British Journal of Nutrition; 2008, electronic publication ahead of print.

Tags: beta-carottene, coenzyme CoQ10, exercise, inflammation, stress, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, weight-training

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 at 10:17 am and is filed under General Health & Fitness, Nutrition & Diet, Strength Training, Supplements. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.