Effect of Vitamin Supplementation on Exercise Induced Oxidative Stress in Trained Elite Indian Cyclists

It has been established that intense physical exercise is associated with an increase in free radical production. Our body has defense system to combat the deleterious effect. But, when the body’s natural defense system against free radicals are overwhelmed, oxidative stress increases. In the present investigation, we studied the effect of vitamin supplementation (composed of 400 IU of vitamin E and 500 mg ascorbic acid for 2 months) on oxidative and enzymatic exercise stress markers during endurance training activity in 50 trained elite Indian cyclists attending national camp at Sports Authority of India, Netaji Subas National Institute of Sports (SAI-NSNIS), Patiala, India. Serum concentrations of ascorbic acid, alpha tocopherol, malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase were measured before supplementation and after completion of 2 months of antioxidant supplementation. Antioxidant supplementation led to significant increase in serum alpha-tocopherol and ascorbic acid from pre-supplementation to postsupplementation stage. Serum MDA concentration and SOD activity decreased significantly after 2 months of antioxidant treatment. There was increase in serum catalase activity after supplementation compared to before supplementation. The results of the present study suggest that antioxidant supplementation may strengthen the antioxidant defense system, thus reducing the oxidative stress produced after endurance training in elite Indian cyclists.