Everyone's Favorite Antioxidants?

Nutrition
21

Studies in-vivo have shown this effect
For example
Bryant RJ et al J Strength Cond Res. 2003 Nov;17(4):792-800 ?Athletes are encouraged to include antioxidants, such as vitamin E and C, in their diet to counteract these detrimental effects of exercise. The data presented here suggests that 400 IU/day of vitamin E will provide adequate protection but supplementing the diet with 1 g per day of vitamin C may promote cellular damage.?

Childs A et al Free Radic Biol Med. 2001 Sep 15;31(6):745-53 This acute human inflammatory model strongly suggests that vitamin C and NAC supplementation immediately post-injury, transiently increases tissue damage and oxidative stress.

Although i agree that needs are increased with respect to lifestyle (stress etc)/diet/and training.

You make an interesting point about the non acid form of vitamin C??? Could you explain more about this please (isnt it that that gives it its antioxidant abilites)
Thanks,Pat

22

For vitamin C, you might want to look into who funded the studies… There are plently of anti vitamin C people that works with drug companies trying to discredit the benefits of vitamin C. This happens alot so be careful when you read studies, always find out who funded these studies… More and more are being funded by drug companies and more than likely they will be biased to help those companies out. They just want us to buy their overrated drugs and pay for their multi-million houses and 100K cars. Think about it…

23

I have been taking the following antioxidants over the past 6 months after doing considerable research and I haven’t felt this good in years.

Morning

  1. 500 mg of C-Ester
  2. 30 mg of CoQ10
  3. 200 mg of R-ALA
  4. 500-1000 mg of ALCAR

Evening (Post Workout)

  1. 500 mg of C-Ester
  2. 200 iu of Gamma E
  3. 200 mg of R-ALA
  4. 500 - 1000 mg of ALCAR
  5. 200 mg of Grape Seed Extract
  6. 200 mg of Green Tea
  7. 30 mg of CoQ10
  8. 200 mg of Milk Thistle

You will notice that I tend to take lower amounts of each specific antioxidant to lower he possibility of any particular antioxidant turning pro-oxidant. I make up for this by taking a variety of different antioxidants along with the various foods I eat that have antioxidant values (i.e. blueberries).

24

Akash1s,

200 mg grape seed extract is usually considered a loading dose taken e.g. for a short period and you probably only need 50-100 mg/day for general purposes.

Also, I would recommend not just taking 200 iu of Gamma E, but a mixed tocopheral with at the very least 400 IU alpha.

Pat,

So your data suggests that vitamin c has a protective effect during exercise (expected, makes sense).

The data you referenced suggests that vitamin c “transiently increases tissue damage and oxidative stress.”

Anything is possible, but it would be interesting if these were both correct. I’ve read the abstract but would have to shell out $30 to read the full article so I can’t comment. But check out this data:

06-17-04

By David Stauth,
SOURCES: Maret Traber,
Angela Mastaloudis,

CORVALLIS, Ore. - A new study by researchers in the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University found that ultramarathon runners who used supplements of vitamins C and E for six weeks prior to their races totally prevented the increase in lipid oxidation that is otherwise associated with extreme exercise.

The type of metabolic damage observed in these runners is also often found after heart attacks, strokes, surgery and other traumas, the report noted, and the researchers say this study provides more evidence for the value of vitamin E supplementation as an antioxidant that, at the least, can help prevent damaging lipid oxidation and some of the health concerns associated with it.

The study was just published in a professional journal, Free Radical Biology and Medicine.

In the controlled research, the OSU scientists examined 22 runners who performed in a 50-kilometer “ultramarathon,” running more than 30 miles up and down hills near Corvallis, Ore. Half of the runners were given daily supplements of 1,000 milligrams vitamin C and 400 international units of vitamin E for six weeks prior to the race, while the other half ate only their normal, healthy diet.

An analysis of “biomarkers” in the control group that received no supplements showed significant increases in lipid peroxidation following the race - these biomarkers were at levels that are often seen after someone has had a heart attack. The runners taking vitamins C and E were comparatively normal. Interestingly, the male runners who did not receive supplements continued their unusually high levels of oxidized lipids for almost a week, while the metabolism of females returned to normal in a day.

“This study clearly showed that supplementation with these antioxidant vitamins could help prevent the significant levels of lipid oxidation that are associated with intense exercise,” said Angela Mastaloudis, an LPI researcher and co-author on the study. “And it’s worth noting that the people who did not take supplements, but did have a vitamin E intake that would be about the amount suggested by the federal RDA, did not gain those protective benefits.”…

I’ll get back to you on the benefits on non-acidic ascorbate

25

Pat,

FYI: www.vitamincfoundation.org/

Not exactly an unbiased source, but lots of links to info that you might not find otherwise.

26

ScottL -

Thanks for your response. Actually you are right, I am taking a 200mg does for loading purposes only (5 days) after which I plan on cutting back to 50 mg a day.

Also, with respect to the Gamma E, I am taking a mixed vitamin E capsule, which happens to have 200 iu of Gamma E.

27

ScottL:

Although there at first appears to be a contradiction, ie in our study vitamins protect, in the other one they damage, there in fact isn’t, as it is a result of WHEN the vitamins were ingested that caused the effect.
Taking them prior to exercise is fine, and does indeed confer a protective effect. Taking them immediately post exercise, that involves large amounts of eccentric damage, would appear not to be such a good idea.
I think antioxidants can have a beneficial effect for strength trainers (i take them myself), but i tend to take mine prior to the training session, or a number of hours after it.
Also, with regards the study you quote, i think they saw an effect because of the exercise modality, ie an ultramarathon because of the huge stresses that it places on the body. I feel that our protocol showed an effect because we got our subjetcs (who were untrained) to perform 30 sets of 10 maximal eccentric contractions (they were walking funny for a few days after!!).
Altough i think that our study and the one you quote saw effects due to the extreme nature of the exercise, in my opinion antioxidants (and in particular vitamin C and E) may have a more subtle effects for regular trainers. But studies may not show them because they are only small changes that can easily be effected by other factors.
One interesting point in this regard was found in our study. We did the eccentric exercise on an isokinetic machine. This gives you lots of data for each and every rep the subject performs. We found that the major differences between the vitamin and non vitamin group were found in that last portion of sets (6 or 7). This may suggest that up until that point the bodies own endogenous antioxidants were conferring the effect but as these became overwhelmed the group that was on supplements were able to maintain a greater level of protection. This would indeed lend support to increasing supplemnt intake during times of stress etc (as you have suggested) but may also suggest that in a normal healthy individual (who isnt under extreme stress), your own natural engogenous antioxidants can play a major role in the fight and therefore supplementing with HUGE doses may not be required.

28

In a recent Discover mag, they had a short thing about antioxidants. It was some data from a study by the USDA about antioxidant amounts in 100 different foods. In later sudies they plan to devise RDA’s. Here are some of the top foods, with serving size and total amount of antioxidants per serving.

Small red beans 1/2 cup 13,272
Blueberries 1 cup 13,427
Prunes 1/2 cup 7,291
Pecans 1 oz. 5,095
Russet potato 1 (cooked) 4,649
Spinach 4 leaves 1,056
P-nut butter 1 oz. 973
Cornflakes 1 1/2 cup 708
Tomato 1 (raw) 415
Cucumber, peeled 1/2 cup 74

Hope you guys find it interesting!

To-Shin Do

29

blueberries
green tea

broccoli didn’t make it on the list? that’s odd…

take your supplements for every effect, not just for anti-oxidants.