Polyphenols in Exercise Performance and Prevention of Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage

Abstract

Although moderate physical exercise is considered an essential component of a healthy lifestyle that leads the organism to adapt itself to different stresses, exercise, especially when exhaustive, is also known to induce oxidative stress, inflammation, and muscle damage. Many efforts have been carried out to identify dietary strategies or micronutrients able to prevent or at least attenuate the exercise-induced muscle damage and stress. Unfortunately most studies have failed to show protection, and at the present time data supporting the protective effect of micronutrients, as antioxidant vitamins, are weak and trivial. This review focuses on those polyphenols, present in the plant kingdom, that have been recently suggested to exert some positive effects on exercise-induced muscle damage and oxidative stress. In the last decade flavonoids as quercetin, catechins, and other polyphenols as resveratrol have caught the scientists attention. However, at the present time drawing a clear and definitive conclusion seems to be untimely.

Consumo De Polifenóis E Sua Associação Com Conhecimento Nutricional E Atividade Física

“…Os conhecimentos atuais sobre os compostos polifenólicos demonstram que tanto podem exercer um efeito significativo no músculo danificado na atividade física, bem como desempenhar um papel biológico/ fisiológico na melhora do desempenho físico 7 . Deste modo, a alimentação passa a ser vista como via de proteção preventiva contra possíveis danos gerados pela atividade física, possibilitando uma melhora da qualidade de vida às pessoas que associam atividade física e alimentação saudável.…”

Antioxidants and Their Importance During Muscular Exercise: A Review

“…Coenzyme Q 10 (CoQ 10 ) is the major form of ubiquinone in human subjects. CoQ 10 has gained considerable attention as an agent capable of influencing cellular bioenergetics and counteracting some of the damage caused by free radicals [3,81]. Humans can synthesize ubiquinones, hence, coenzyme Q 10 cannot be considered a vitamin [82].…”

“…Flavonoids are polyphenols or polyhydroxylated phytochemicals. The two main classes of polyphenols include flavonoids and phenolic acids [81,91]. Flavonoids exert positive effects on human health; they are required for best activity, especially antioxidant and antiproliferative activity [81,93].…”

“…The two main classes of polyphenols include flavonoids and phenolic acids [81,91]. Flavonoids exert positive effects on human health; they are required for best activity, especially antioxidant and antiproliferative activity [81,93]. The mechanism of antioxidant activity of flavonoids can be characterized by direct scavenging or quenching of oxygen free radicals or excited oxygen species as well as inhibition of oxidative enzymes that generate these reactive oxygen species [92,94].…”

“…The wellknown flavonoids are quercetin, catechins, and resveratrol, and they have received great scientific attention. Quercetin supplementation increases mitochondrial biogenesis of exercise skeletal muscle [81,96].…”