Nutrition Antioxidant Status and Oxidative Stress in Professional Basketball Players: Effects of a Three Compound Antioxidative Supplement

Professional basketball players of the First Spanish League (ACB) are highly trained athletes performing high training loads and competition sessions. As intense physical activity has been suggested to increase free radical production, we examined the effects of a vitamin antioxidant mixture on the degree of oxidative stress in these athletes. Subjects received either 600 mg α-tocopherol, 1000 mg vitamin C and 32 mg β-carotene, or a placebo over 32 days during a regular competition season. Plasma concentrations of α-tocopherol, vitamin C, β-carotene, retinol, lipoperoxides (LPO), and the total antioxidant status (TAS) were analysed before and after treatment. Lipoperoxide plasma levels decreased significantly (p < 0.05) in the vitamin antioxidant supplemented group. The LPO/TAS ratio decreased about 15.3 % in this group indicating a reduction in oxidative stress. Vitamin C dropped dramatically (p < 0.03, mean 15.4 µmol/L) in the placebo group leading to a marginal plasma vitamin C concentration (from 11 to less than 28 µmol/L). The results of this study suggest that the administered vitamin antioxidant mixture decreases oxidative stress and avoids the development of a marginal vitamin C status in professional basketball player during habitual training.

Key words:

Antioxidants - basketball - exercise - oxidative stress - vitamin C

References

• 1 Alessio H M, Goldfarb A H, Cao G. Exercise-induced oxidative stress before and after vitamin C supplementation.  Int J Sports Nutr. 1997;  7 1-9
• 2 Armstrong D, Browns R. The analysis of free radicals, lipid peroxides, antioxidant enzymes and compounts related to oxidative stress as applied to the clinical chemistry laboratory. In: Armstrong D (ed) Free Radicals in Diagnostic Medicine. New York; Plenum Press 1994: 43-58
• 3 Bendich A L, Machun J, Scandurra O. The antioxidant role of vitamin C. Adv Free Radic Biol Med 1986: 419-444
• 4 Carbajal A, Nunez C, Moreieras O. Energy intake as a determinant factor of vitamin C status of healthy young woman.  Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 1996;  66 227-231
• 5 Colgan M. The effects of micronutrient supplementation on athletic performance. In: Katch FI (ed) Sport, Health, and Nutrition. Human Kinetics 1986: 21-50
• 6 Dekkers J, Van Doornen L JP, Kemper H CG. The role of antioxidant vitamins and enzymes in the prevention of exercise-induced muscle damage.  Sports Med. 1996;  21 213-238
• 7 Demopoulos H B. Free radical pathology: Rationale and toxicology of antioxidants and other supplements in sports medicine and exercise science. In: Katch FI (ed) Sports, Health, and Nutrition. Human Kinetics 1986: 139-189
• 8 Dhariwal K, Hatzell W, Levine M. Ascorbic acid and dehydroascorbic acid measurements in human plasma and serum.  Am J Clin Nutr. 1991;  54 712-716
• 9 Duthie G G, Robertson J D, Maughan R J, Morrice P C. Blood antioxidant status and erythrocyte lipid peroxidation following distance running.  Arch Biochem Biophys. 1990;  282 78-83
• 10 Frei B, Stocker R, England L, Ames B N. Ascorbate: the most effective antioxidant in human blood plasma.  Adv Exp Med Biol. 1990;  264 155-163
• 11 Gerster H. The role of vitamine C in athletic performance.  J Am Coll Nutr. 1989;  8 636-643
• 12 Ginsburg G S, Agil A, O'Tool M, Rimm E, Douglas P S, Rifai N. Effects of a single bout of ultraendurance exercise on lipid levels and susceptibility of lipids to peroxidation in triathletes.  J Am Med Ass. 1996;  276 221-225
• 13 Hemila H. Vitamin C and common cold incidence: a review of studies with subjects under heavy physical stress.  Int J Sports Med. 1996;  17 379-383
• 14 Hodges R E. Ascorbic acid. In: Goodhart RS, Shils ME (eds) Modern nutrition in health and disease. Lea and Febiger 1980: 259-273
• 15 Jacob R A, Kelley D S, Pianalto F S, Swendseid M E, Henning S M, Zhang J Z, Ames B N, Fraga C G, Peters J H. Immunocompetence and oxidant defense during ascorbat depletion of healthy men.  Am H Clin Nutr. 1991;  54 1302
• 16 Jakeman P, Maxwell S. Effects of antioxidant vitamin supplementation on muscle function after eccentric exercise.  Eur J Appl Physiol. 1993;  67 426-430
• 17 Jialal I, Norkus E P, Cristol L, Grundy S M. Beta-carotene inhibits the oxidative modification of low-density lipoprotein.  Biochim Biophys Acta. 1991;  1086 134-138
• 18 Kanter M M, Nolte L A, Holloszy J O. Effects of an antioxidant vitamin mixture at rest and postexercise.  J Appl Physiol. 1993;  74 965-969
• 19 Key T JA, Oakes S, Davey G, Moore J, Edmond L M, McLoone U J, Thurnham D I. Stability of vitamins A, C, E, carotenoids, lipids, and testosterone in whole blood stored at 4 °C for 6 and 24 hours before separation of serum and plasma.  Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 1996;  5 811-814
• 20 Maxwell S R, Jakeman P, Thomason H, Leguen C, Thorpe G H. Changes in plasma antioxidant status during eccentric exercise and the effect of vitamin supplementation.  Free Radic Res Commun. 1993;  19 191-201
• 21 McInnes S E, Carlson J S, Jones C J, McKenna M J. The physiological load imposed on basketball players during competition.  J Sports Sci. 1995;  13 387-397
• 22 McLemore J I, Beely P, Thorton K, Morrisroe K, Blackwell W, Dasgupta A. Rapid automated determination of lipid hydroperoxide concentrations and total antioxidant status of serum samples from patients infected with HIV.  Clin Chem. 1997;  109 268-273
• 23 Meydani M, Evans W J, Handelman G, Biddle L, Fielding R A, Meydani S N, Burrill J, Fiatarone M A, Blumberg J B, Cannon J G. Protective effect of vitamin E on exercise-induced oxidative damage in young and older adults.  Am J Physiol. 1993;  264 998
• 24 Nierenberg D W, Dain B J, Mott L A, Baron J A, Greenberg E R. Effects of a 4 y of oral supplementation with beta carotene on serum concentrations of retinol, tocopherol, and five carotenoids.  Am J Clin Nutr. 1997;  66 315-319
• 25 Packer J E, Slater T F, Wilson R L. Direct observation of a free radical interaction between vitamin E and vitamin C.  Nature. 1979;  278 737-738
• 26 Peters E M. Exercise, immunology and upper respiratory tract infections.  Int J Sports Med. 1997;  18 77
• 27 Rokitzki L, Logemann E, Huber G, Keck E, Keul J. α-Tocopherol supplementation in racing cyclists during extreme endurance training.  Int J Sports Nutr. 1994;  4 253-264
• 28 Rokitzki L, Logemann E, Sagredos A N, Murphy M, Wetzel-Roth W, Keul J. Lipid peroxidation and antioxidative vitamins under extreme endurance stress.  Acta Physiol Scand. 1994;  151 149-158
• 29 Rokitzki L, Hinkel S, Klemp C, Cufi D, Keul J. Dietary serum and urine ascorbic acid status in male athletes.  Int J Sports Med. 1994;  15 435-440
• 30 Rokitzki L, Oelkers J, Porath B, Keul J. Simultane Bestimmung der fettlöslichen Vitamine Retinol und α-Tocopherol sowie des Provitamins β-Carotin mittels Hochdruckflüssigkeitschromatographie (HPLC). In: Höpker HR (ed) Würzburger Chromatographie-Gespräche. 1. Auflage. Freiburg; 1990: 50-52
• 31 Simon-Schnass J, Pabst H. Influence of vitamine E on physical performance.  Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 1988;  38 49-54
• 32 Sumida S, Tanaka K, Kitao H, Nakadomo F. Exercise-induced lipid peroxidation and leakage enzyme before and after vitamin E supplementation.  Int J Biochem. 1989;  21 835-838
• 33 Van der Beek E J, van Dokkum W, Wedel M, Schrijver J, van den Berg H. Thiamin, riboflavin and vitamin B6: impact of restricted intake on physical performance in man.  J Am Coll Nutr. 1994;  13 629-640
• 34 Vasankari T J, Kujala U M, Vasankari T M, Vuorimaa T, Ahotupa M. Increased serum and low-density-lipoprotein antioxidant potential after antioxidant supplementation in endurance athletes.  Am J Clin Nutr. 1997;  65 1052-1056