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Antioxidants Block Exercise Recovery Part 1

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Apr 16, 2012

Its a rookie mistake made by a lot of fitness experts, pro athletes, and exercise enthusiasts: taking popular antioxidants can hamper exercise recovery by mucking up the bodys own natural antioxidant systems that evolution put in place hundreds of thousands of years ago. For the last 30+ years, weekend and world-class athletes have blindly trusted the questionable claims of dietary supplement marketers and self-proclaimed fitness gurus that taking antioxidant supplements would prevent muscle damage, inflammation, and loss of performance due to exercise-induced free radical damage. Ive been involved in dietary supplement product development since the early 1980s and developed a number of highly successful product concepts for Twinlab and TwinSport from 19852003. Such products can be quite lucrative for those who develop them and for those companies that sell them. For example, just a single nutraceutical product concept I developed in the early 1990s was one of the most successful in the companys 30-year history and paid off my home mortgage. So Im not surprised when I see everyone and his brother with a website hawking dietary supplements. Theres big money to be made. Unfortunately, a number of the products Ive reviewed are poorly designed, meaning they provide inappropriate doses or contain questionable ingredients. Some are simply a waste of your money and wont live up to the sellers claims, explicit or implicit. Antioxidant supplements are among the most misunderstood and overused fitness supplements by exercise enthusiasts and elite athletes alike. Inappropriate use of certain antioxidant supplements can nullify potential training improvements to those seeking optimized fitness, free-radical protection, and a performance edge. Ironically, its active people who are most vulnerable to the harmful effects of antioxidant supplements. Most take them anyway because they believe the conventional wisdom that foods and supplements with high ORAC values are healthier and more protective than products with lower ORAC values. ORAC values are more of a marketing tool than they are a valid measure of how well a food, beverage, or supplement will quench reactive oxygen or nitrogen species once inside your body. In my book, ORAC = MARKETING HYPE

I speak with a number of professional athletes who suffer from chronic systemic inflammation and muscle breakdown and soreness who blame their condition on everything from eating too many carbs or too much fat or dehydration or lack of certain minerals. The truth is that most are unknowingly overtraining, which sets the stage for muscle damage and pain. Sometimes, taking antioxidant supplements can make matters worse. The first question I ask is: Are you taking megadose antioxidant supplements on a daily basis? The answer is almost always, YES! The second question I ask is, Are you taking iron supplements? Again, the answer is usually affirmative. Of all the conventional sports nutrition supplements on the market, iron supplements would be at the top of my Do Not Take list. There are rational uses for iron supplementswhen used in the proper contextbut certainly not for quenching free radicals produced by moderate-to-heavy workouts. Often promoted as antianemia pills, iron supplements could wind up working against you, not for you. Is The Free-Radical Theory of Aging Due For Retirement?

In 1982, exercise physiologists demonstrated that lab ratswhen run to total exhaustionproduced lots of free radicals (reactive oxygen species, or ROS) in their skeletal muscle. Since then, sports fitness gurus and dietary supplement marketers have sold billions of dollars worth of antioxidant supplements promoted as free radical quenchers and damage control compounds that protect our bodies from the destructive compounds made during physical activity. During that same year, a popular life extension book based on Denham Harmons free-radical theory of aging promoted antioxidant supplements and firmly established them as an important fitness tool in the minds of many athletes and exercise enthusiasts. Nutrition science has rapidly progressed since Durk Pearson and Sandy Shaw first popularized antioxidant supplements in the early 1980s. While free radical damage may play a role in aging, it is clearly not the only contributor. Recent evidence supports the concept that phytonutrients (e.g., curcumin, EGCG, fisetin, quercetin, resveratrol) not only prevent free radical damage but also exert even more powerful protection through non-antioxidant actions. Many of the phytonutrients fitness gurus

believed were merely antioxidants are now understood to be quite capable of modulating gene expression, and as such could represent a more effective means for preventing exerciseinduced damage to muscles and vital organs. Although a number of armchair experts on various blogs promote such popular antioxidants as vitamin C, vitamin E, and fish oil to reduce free radical damage during and after exercise, biomedical researchers have yet to reach a clear consensus on the benefits of these supplements. For example, see here, here,here, and here. Today, the accumulated evidence of the last three decades has led me to conclude that fitness gurus who promote antioxidant supplements seem to have ignored a large and growing body of robust evidence that suggests that indiscriminately taking antioxidants for damage control and health insurance could be counterproductive to exercise recovery and healing from sports injuries. Such supplements may paradoxically increase inflammation and muscle damage after exercise and minimize or reduce expected exercise gains.

Antioxidants Block Exercise Recovery Part 2

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Apr 15, 2012

What Evolution Has Taught Us About ROS [continued from Part 1] Most contemporary sports nutritionists fail to appreciate that exercise-generated ROS play a critical physiological role in the bodys adaptation to exercise. The last 100,000+ years of evolution have equipped our cells with redundant antioxidant defense systems to deal with the normal production of ROS during and after exercise. The collective research suggests that the continued presence of even low concentrations of ROS in our muscle cells induces the robust expression of antioxidant enzymes and other defense mechanisms in contracting muscle cells. The basis for this phenomenon is explained by the concept of hormesis, which essentially says that a low dose of a substance is stimulatory and a high dose is inhibitory. Put another way, a little stress is good for us. Exercise-driven hormesis explains why short bouts of high-intensity interval exercise just a few times a week can provide fitness gains that cannot be duplicated by spending an hour every day on a treadmill or stair climber. As I mentioned, there is considerable debate regarding the questionable health effects of different types of antioxidants in humans. This point of view is partly supported by this study, this one, and this one, which found detrimental effects of antioxidant

supplementation leading to increased rates of morbidity and mortality . Although each of these studies has design flaws, they are nevertheless consistent with a larger body of research that suggests antioxidant supplements must be taken in the proper form (especially important in evaluating vitamin E studies) and context and that like any other ingested substance, including water, they can be toxic. The data call for more research before any definitive conclusions can be reached . I could make a strong case against the findings of these studies, but for now, lets move on to the primary concern of this post: Do antioxidant supplements help or harm physically active folks?

How Much Do You Trust Supplement Marketers? Almost all professional and amateur athletes Ive ever met supplement their diets with high levels of antioxidants. Most use the usual suspectsvitamin C, vitamin E, beta carotene, and fish oil. Published studies showing clear cut effects on performance benefits, muscle function, and exercise recovery of such antioxidant supplements are elusive . In fact, most studies suggest quite the opposite: supplementary antioxidants can muck up our evolutionarily conserved antioxidant defense systems put in place hundreds of thousands of years ago . How ironic it is that a number of Paleo diet bloggers recommend and sell Neolithic antioxidant supplements to the Paleo community. Just like doctors paid by Big Pharma to promote their drugs, such bloggers advice should be viewed with an abundance of skepticism. The first question I ask is: Cui bono? (To whose benefit?). The Research Trail The first study I found on antioxidants and exercise was a paper published in 1971, which reported that taking vitamin E supplements (400 IU daily for 6 weeks) caused unfavorable effects on endurance performance. Eight years later I found another vitamin E study showing that in combination with selenium (still a favorite combo among supplement promoters), the duo failed to improve swimming performance in lab rats. I began looking at other types of antioxidants and their effects on exercise . I found two studies that showed harmful effects of coenzyme Q10 supplementation (another powerful antioxidant like vitamin E) in humans who had undergone a high-intensity training program. These two papers, published in 1996 and1997, suggested that coQ10 supplements should possibly be avoided by exercising humans.

Two years later, a study of triathletes found no beneficial effect of coQ10 supplements on maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max). Theoretically, this went against the conventional wisdom on coQ10 because of its intimate involvement in mitochondrial ATP production. Why wouldnt supplementary coQ10 be beneficial for athletes? I had already developed nutraceutical products that contained coQ10. Was I actually jeopardizing my world-champion clients performances by giving them hundreds of IUs of the compound? A few years later, a seminal figure in antioxidant research, Lester Packer, found that a combo of vitamin E and alpha-lipoic acid depressed the ability of rat muscle to contract when stimulated by the kind of low frequencies that typically emanate from the sub-woofer in your car and home stereo systems ( 40 Hz). I had developed sports nutrition products that contained these two compounds. My concern was growing. On the heels of Packers study, another group of researchers fed racing greyhounds 1 g of vitamin C per day for 4 weeks. Hopefully, none of those geeks had any money on these dogs because the supplement significantly slowed their racing speedsthe equivalent of a 3-meter difference at the finish of a 500-m race. I kept thinking back to a study my major professor showed me in graduate schoolone where supplements of vitamin C paradoxically generated damaging free radicals (now a widely accepted autocatalytic effect of the vitamin). I foolishly ignored the study because I had just met with Linus Pauling who persuaded me that vitamin C protectednot harmedthe delicate cellular machinery in our mitochondria. I mean, the man had discovered the nature of the chemical bonda cornerstone of contemporary chemistry and was Nobeled twice. If you had been at that meeting with me, you might have been persuaded as well. What about the effectiveness of vitamin C supplements in suppressing post-exercise muscle sorenesscould the conventional wisdom be wrong about that as well? I found a 2006 study that reported vitamin C supplementation (1 g for 14 days) did not attenuate muscle soreness after muscle-damaging exercise. Moreover, study investigators believed that vitamin C supplementation probably delayed the exercise recovery process . I did find research involving a popular supplement among bodybuilders (nacetylcysteine; NAC), which has been shown to increase the synthesis in the body of a key antioxidant, glutathione. I found three studies that showed improvement in human tolerance to different types of exercise when NAC supplements were used. You can find them here, here, and here. The fly-in-the-ointment with NAC is that theres one small, nagging mouse study that found that NAC can trick the body into responding as if theres not enough oxygen in the blood at least in lab animals. The results: pulmonary hypertensiona potentially fatal condition. Theres a good chance the study isnt relevant to humansespecially since conflicting studies suggest a protective or remedial effect of the compound in pulmonary hypertension. But even the remotest possibility of getting pulmonary hypertension is enough to keep me from taking NAC, especially because Ive found other safe and effective nutraceuticals that will protect against exercise-induced muscle damage and soreness. What You Need To Know When lab rats or humans are exposed to regular exercise , the expression of antioxidant enzymes and other enzymes critical to cell function are increased. Practically speaking, exercise is powerful antioxidant. A number of studies strongly suggest that ROS generated during exercise act as an important signal to increase the production of enzymes vital during the adaptation of muscle

cells to exercise. These findings cast doubt on the wisdom of supplement marketers and fitness gurus who recommend that we need to take such antioxidants as vitamin C, vitamin E, and fish oil supplements to prevent free radical damage due to physical activity. When lab rats and humans are fed antioxidants and then exercised , evolutionarily conserved protective adaptations to free radical damage are abolished. See here andhere. In contrast, certain nutraceuticals taken prior to exercise or competition provided such exercise or competition is likely to be exhaustivecan effectively mitigate ROS production that can lead to muscle damage and overwhelm cellular defensive mechanisms.

Antioxidants Block Exercise Recovery Part 3

Posted by admin in Sports Nutrition | 0 comments

Apr 14, 2012

[continued from Part 1 and Part 2] The facts reveal that while physical activity and athletic training lead to the natural generation of free radicals, such radicals cause significant cellular damage only when such activity is exhaustive. Most folks committed to a daily regimen of chronic cardio workouts like to think theyre engaged in exhaustive activity (because they feel exhausted) but unless youre into PaleoPharms recommended high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or training for marathons, triathlons, or the other endurance events such as the Tour de France, youre probably not a candidate for gulping down hundreds to thousands of milligrams of synthetic ascorbate and other popular antioxidant supplements. Natural compounds including black tea theaflavins, cocoa polyphenols, curcumin, green tea extract,grape seed extract, L-ergothioneine, olive oil polyphenols, quercetin, resveratrol, and sea buckthorn can mitigate exercise-related ROS (reactive oxygen species) muscle damage and optimize post-exercise glucose and lipid metabolism. Check the Sports Nutrition section of this site for regular updates on nutraceuticals and protocols optimized for exercise protection and recovery. The world champion athletes I counsel dont rely on the usual antioxidant suspects most amateur and weekend athletes take becausewelltheyre for amateurs! Instead, they benefit from taking synergistic nutraceuticals whose effectiveness is supported by science, not hype or locker room lore. For the vast majority of fitness buffs, run-of-the-mill antioxidant supplements work against achieving fitness gains and may prevent free radicals generated during exercise from doing

what evolution intended them to do: promote gene expression of antioxidant proteins that will protect them against free radical damage!

Mitochondrial Biogenesis: The Currency Of Optimized Fitness

One of the most important abilities of skeletal muscle to an athlete is its ability to expand its mitochondrial density (mitochondrial biogenesis) in response to contraction (exercise). In a 2002 study, investigators examined how UPCs (uncoupling proteins which produce wasted energy in skeletal muscle not used for muscle contraction) act asregulators of mitochondrial ROS production to prevent oxidative damage to mitochondria. They hypothesized that the primary ancestral function of uncoupling proteins is to diminish mitochondrial superoxide production (a highly reactive free radical), thereby protecting against damage and disease at the expense of a small loss of energy. Revving up UPCs also helps burn off adipose tissue, which makes weight loss near effortless because it happens at rest. Such nutraceuticals as green tea and apple extracts promote fatburning by increasing the production of UPCs in mitochondria. By doing so, these polyphenols also provide protection against exercise-induced free radical damage. Bottom line: For most active folks, exercise itself is the best antioxidant. Athletes and serious amateur exercise enthusiasts engaged in exhaustive physical activity could benefit from using an evidence-based nutraceutical protocol to prevent muscle damage, soreness, and rapid recovery. Such a protocol should also be designed to promote mitochondrial biogenesis and reduce biomarkers of systemic inflammation, including lipid oxidation products and hsCRP (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein). Those PaleoPharm members following Reprogram Yourself will notice a decline in inflammatory biomarkers by comparing their before-and-after blood panels.

Free Radical Tech-Talk (Non-Geeks Can Skip This Section)

Exercise-induced free radicals (ROS, RONS) activate important cellular enzymes involved in antioxidant defense . They play a vital role in cell signaling that lead to cell adaptation to exercise. For example, free radicals lead to an increased expression of MAPKs (EKR 1, ERK 2), p38, and JNK that activate NF-B, which, in turn increases gene expression of such key protective proteins as eNOS, iNOS, and Mn-SOD. Taking certain antioxidant supplements can abolish these and other protective effects, hindering beneficial cell adaptations during exercise. Free radicals formed during exercise activate DNA binding of NF-B in muscle. Taking allopurinol, a drug prescribed to treat gout, will prevent DNA binding of NF-B. (Illustration available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15932896) NF-B also controls changes in fuel metabolism during and following exercise by promoting transcription of the IL-6 gene. IL-6 enhances glucose transport and lipid oxidation in muscle. The role of IL-6 in glucose and fat metabolism is generally overlooked by the Paleo diet community because many Paleo diet bloggers rail against it. IL-6 plays a dual role in health, fitness, and disease: it can be beneficial or harmful. Again, it depends on context. Our muscles evolved to adapt to exercise and there are redundant antioxidant systems in place to protect against exercise-induced free radical damage. The conventional wisdom proffered by dietary supplement marketers, fitness bloggers, and members of the Paleo community could becounterproductive to your recovery from exercise training and sports.

My Top 10 List of Nutraceuticals That Promote Exercise Recovery and Healing If you engage in exhaustive physical activity, here is a list of nutraceuticals that may possibly protect against exercise-induced ROS damage and delayed-onset muscle soreness. Disclaimer: Check with your healthcare provider to determine if there is any reason you should not take any of these compounds. Do not take them if you have an allergy to any of them or to any food or dietary supplement that contains them. A number of these compounds may delay the metabolism (inactivation) of certain prescription drugs in the same way that drinking grapefruit juice or cranberry juice can prolong the time before a medication is metabolized by your body. Apple polyphenols Black tea theaflavins Cocoa polyphenols Curcumin

Green tea extract Grape seed extract L-ergothioneine Olive leaf extract Pterostilbene/Resveratrol Quercetin