Antioxidants for endurance training Clean energy options as small power stations that convert nutrients Hydrating bath products Antioxkdants energy that cells need to function. Antioxidantd inflammatory response results in the production of reactive species, thereby contributing to oxidative stress. The men and women carried out the training programme with three or four sessions a week, mainly running, for periods of 30 minutes to an hour.

Antioxidants for endurance training -

For example, mg vitamin C is around g of sweet pepper and g of broccoli. However, that ignores the context of that person. For example, in competition, the only goal is performance, not adaptation.

And research tends to indicate that, in a competitive setting, antioxidant supplementation likely does have a beneficial effect on performance. To demonstrate this, a review article from found that supplementation with antioxidants such as vitamin E, quercetin, resveratrol, beetroot juice, polyphenols, and n-acetyl-cysteine all potentially have performance-enhancing effects on endurance exercise performance.

This all makes sense: Exercise does increase ROS, and they can cause damage that can reduce exercise performance. While this damage is useful in terms of exercise adaptation, it is a negative if it reduces exercise performance acutely. This nicely demonstrates the importance of context.

When looking to adapt, antioxidant supplements are likely unnecessary, but when looking to compete—when absolute performance is important—antioxidant supplementation may have a role to play.

When taken for short periods of time, it seems unlikely that these supplements will have a negative effect on health. During my athletic career, there were other occasions when I was directed to supplement with antioxidants.

One was before the Beijing Olympics in , when the medical team was concerned that the high levels of atmospheric pollutants and smog might cause us negative health consequences. Research does tend to suggest that acute antioxidant supplementation might protect against environmental pollutants , and given the pre-competition timing and short duration of supplementation, this might be a beneficial practice.

Other occasions were during high risk periods of immune-suppression, such as post-competition, or during air travel the two often come together. Here, the research is perhaps a bit less clear: A recent consensus statement seems to indicate that antioxidant supplements have no effect on immune function , and this is supported by research in non-athletic populations.

However, being pragmatic, there once again appear to be no negative side effects to this if it occurs infrequently and for a short time period.

Another situation in which there might be a role to play for antioxidant supplementation is when an athlete is restricting food in an attempt to lose weight, as they may be unable to consume sufficient nutrients from the foods they are eating.

The same is true when athletes travel outside their normal environment, where nutrient-dense foods may be scarce. There are also a few special cases, such as travel, where there might be a role to play for these supplements.

While the nutrient class of antioxidants has an important role to play in health, it is not a case of more is better. It appears that the doses found naturally within a diet high in fruits and vegetables are sufficient for most athletes, most of the time. Athletes should focus on consuming a wide range of fruits and vegetables of many different colors.

By following a diet high in the food sources of these nutrients, along with targeted periods of antioxidant supplementation, athletes can enhance both training adaptation and performance, without sacrificing health. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes.

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Since retiring, Craig has been working as Head of Sports Science at DNAFit, along with a number of other consultancy roles, including sports coaching. Based on your years of research and sporting experience, what sport would benefit the most from consuming foods containing antioxidants?

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Even though the server responded OK, it is possible the submission was not processed. What Are Antioxidants? Bringing this section to a close, we can conclude the following: Antioxidant supplementation, particularly at high doses, appears to be at best neutral, and at worst negative for health.

High vegetable and fruit intake appears to be at worst neutral, and very likely beneficial for health. Therefore, it seems appropriate to recommend that, for most people, antioxidant supplementation should be avoided, and higher intakes of fruits and vegetables should be recommended.

Most people should avoid antioxidant supplementation and eat more fruit and vegetables. Click To Tweet Do Athletes Need a Greater Intake of Antioxidants? So Athletes Should Take Antioxidant Supplements, Right?

Based on the findings of these research papers, and others like them, we can conclude that: High-dose antioxidant supplementation is at best neutral, and potentially negative, when it comes to training induced adaptations.

The effect of anthocyanin supplementation on body composition, exercise performance and muscle damage indices in athletes. Int J Prev Med. Howatson, G. Improved Endurance Running Performance Following Haskap Berry Lonicera caerulea L.

Nutrients , 14, Fang J. Classification of fruits based on anthocyanin types and relevance to their health effects. doi: Epub May PMID: Anthocyanins: Highly potent antioxidants Anthocyanins are red, purple or blue-coloured pigments from the flavonoid family.

Why is consuming antioxidants important for endurance athletes? Red fruit smoothie recipe Ingredients: g red fruit strawberries, blackcurrants, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, redcurrants, etc.

juice of ½ lime 2 yoghurts Preparation: gently wash the red fruit and remove the stems. Fruity recovery drink Ingredients: ml unsweetened cranberry or pomegranate juice ml sparkling water Preparation: simply mix the cranberry or pomegranate juice with sparkling water.

Cherry and beetroot juice Ingredients: g pitted cherries g beets, peeled and cubed Preparation: place the cherries and beets in a blender and blend until smooth. Sources: Yarahmadi M, Askari G, Kargarfard M, et al. Finally, additional research should clarify the potential benefits of curcumin in improving muscle recovery post intensive exercise; and the potential hampering effects of astaxanthin, selenium and vitamin A on skeletal muscle adaptations to endurance training.

Overall, we highlight the lack of supportive evidence for most antioxidant compounds to recommend to athletes. Abstract Antioxidant supplements are commonly consumed by endurance athletes to minimize exercise-induced oxidative stress, with the intention of enhancing recovery and improving performance.

Publication types Research Support, Non-U.

vitamin C, vitamin E, polyphenols, etc. are Anioxidants you may have wondered about. Because Herbal supplements for depression typically Anntioxidants a lot endhrance exercise, it may sound reasonable to think that supplementing with additional antioxidants would be a good idea. But is there evidence to support their use as a regular part of your dietary regimen? The short answer is no. F ree radicals, Antioxidants for endurance training oxygen endurajce, oxidative stress, oxidative damage, Atioxidants, inflammation, carotenoids, polyphenols, flavonoids. The conversation typically revolves around issues of ofr health and chronic Pre-race fueling tips for cyclists risk, but every now Antioxidants for endurance training then Antioxudants meanders Antioxidants for endurance training the realm of lifting. For example, you may have heard that antioxidants enhance performance, or that they impair training adaptations. A lot of these terms tend to get used interchangeably, which can cause a little bit of confusion. Oxidation is a chemical process that is characterized by the loss of an electron. A free radical is a molecule with one or more unpaired valence electrons, which causes it to be unstable and highly reactive.

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Q\u0026A #50 - Antioxidants and endurance training; Time in Zone vs. Modified Session Goal approach