Dietary vitamin E and physical exercise: I. Altered endurance capacity and plasma lipid profile in ageing rats

Abstract

The effect of vitamin E on the exercise performance and plasma lipid profile was studied in male Wistar rats of 4-(young adults), 8-(old adults), 12-(middle-age) and 22-months (old) of age. Animals were orally supplemented with vitamin E and allowed to swim for 30 min/day, 5 days/week and for a total period of 60 days. Swim velocity (S v ), external work done (W ext ) and endurance (E ) capacity were the parameters that were used to assess the exercise performance of the trained rats that were either supplemented or non-supplemented with the dietary antioxidant. Plasma lipid profile analyses were in terms of low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein, (HDL-C) cholesterol and total cholesterol (C). Age-related decline in S v was noticeable in the 22-months old rats. However, the effect of vitamin E on the S v between the trained groups was not evident in any of the age groups. W ext increased linearly with age with no significant variations between the trainees. Trainee rats, when allowed to swim to exhaustion, showed a higher endurance capacity when supplemented with vitamin E. However, this capacity declined with age. There was a significant age-associated elevation in plasma C with corresponding increase in LDL-C. Exercise training in conjunction with vitamin E supplementation was most effective in elevating HDL-C levels in all age groups. These changes were accompanied by significant reductions in cholesterol/HDL-C ratios in animals receiving vitamin E, sedentary or otherwise. Our data suggests that it may be important to consider vitamin E while attempting to derive the benefits of swim training, both in terms of favorably altering the plasma lipid profile as well as enhancing the endurance capacity of exercise trainees. Dietary supplementation by vitamin E could attenuate the early onset of fatigue in the old. q

Age-related responses of the rat cerebral cortex: influence of vitamin E and exercise on the cholinergic system

“…In the middle-aged, however, exercise in conjunction with vitamin E was effective in enhancing the retention capacity. The improved learning ability in animals support earlier findings on vitamin E as an effective antioxidant in reducing stress and offering better endurance in trained rats subjected to a swim test (Asha et al 2003). Our results suggest that training imposes an enhanced requirement of vitamin E in the cortex.…”

Impact of Exercise and Aging on Rat Urine and Blood Metabolome. An LC-MS Based Metabolomics Longitudinal Study

“…A small number of studies examines the combined effect of aging and exercise, both of which represent strong metabolome modifiers in rodents [37,38,39,40,41,42]. Of these studies, only one employed metabolomics [42].…”

The influence of vitamins E and C and exercise on brain aging

“…This same combination also further decreased oxidative damage of proteins and lipids in the brain (Jolitha et al 2006), and further improved learning in aged rats (Jolitha et al 2009). Swim training and vitamin E intake co-implementation have also led to improvements in the lipid profile and increased endurance for old rats (Asha Devi et al 2003). The combination of swimming with a phytotherapeutic enriched in vitamin C reduced oxidative stress and inflammation, and improved learning in a brain injury rat model (Toldy et al 2005).…”