Influence of vitamin C supplementation on oxidative and salivary IgA changes following an ultramarathon

Abstract

This randomized study measured the influence of vitamin C ( N=15) compared to placebo ( N=13) supplementation on oxidative and salivary immunoglobulin A (sIgA) changes in runners competing in an ultramarathon race. Seven days prior to the race, subjects ingested in randomized, double-blind fashion three 500-mg tablets of vitamin C or placebo each day. On race day, blood and saliva samples were collected 1 h pre-race, after 32 km of running, and then again immediately post-race. During the race, runners received 1 l/h carbohydrate beverages (60 g/l) with vitamin C (150 mg/l) or without in a double-blinded fashion. The runners also ingested two to three carbohydrate gel packs per hour (25 g each). Subjects in both groups ran a mean of 69 km (range 48-80 km) in 9.8 h (range 5-12 h) and maintained an intensity of approximately 75% maximal heart rate (HR(max)) throughout the ultramarathon race. Plasma ascorbic acid was higher in the vitamin C compared to placebo group pre-race, and increased significantly in the vitamin C group during the race [post-race, 3.21 (0.29) and 1.28 (0.12) microg/100 microl, respectively, P<0.001]. No significant group or interaction effects were measured for lipid hydroperoxide and F(2)-isoprostane, but both oxidative measures rose significantly during the ultramarathon race. Saliva volume, sIgA concentration, sIgA secretion and sIgA:saliva protein ratio all decreased significantly (P<0.001) during the race, but the pattern of change in all saliva measures did not differ significantly between groups. No significant correlations were found between post-race plasma vitamin C, oxidative, and saliva measures, except for a positive correlation between post-race serum cortisol and serum vitamin C (r=0.50, P=0.006). These data indicate that vitamin C supplementation in carbohydrate-fed runners does not serve as a countermeasure to oxidative and sIgA changes during or following a competitive ultramarathon race.

Nutritional modulation of exercise-induced immunodepression in athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…From the seven trials (Nehlsen-Cannarella et al, 1997; Henson et al, 1998Henson et al, , 1999Rohde et al, 1998;Koch et al, 2001;Krzywkowski et al, 2001a) that assessed the lymphocyte proliferative response, only one (Koch et al, 2001) found a less depressed proliferative response when CHO was used. None of the interventions had any effect on salivary IgA in the five trials in which IgA was one of the outcomes (Mero, 1997;Bishop et al, 1999;Krzywkowski et al, 2001b;Nieman et al, 2003;Palmer et al, 2003).…”

Salivary Markers of Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Status: Influence of External Factors

“…It was shown that plasma vitamin C is lowered in chronic or acute oxidant states [24,30,36]. Only few studies have monitored concentrations and vitamin C supplementation in saliva [17,39,42,43,45,47]. Requirement for vitamin C is in humans satisfied by the ordinary diet [29].…”

Aspectos atuais sobre estresse oxidativo, exercícios físicos e suplementação

“…Therefore, there was not influence of the supplementation over the TBARS concentrations. Palmer et al (41) have observed that supplementation with 1.500 mg of vitamin C/day for seven days before and during an ultramarathon did not attenuate the oxidative stress after the event. The inefficiency of the vitamin C supplementation over the LP was attributed to the fact that this vitamin is located in aqueous compartments, being less efficient in neutralizing lipophilic radicals, not directly reacting with radicals generated in the lipidic membrane.…”