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Dietary antioxidants for the athlete

Current Sports Medicine Reports volume 5, pages 182–186 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

Physical exercise induces oxidative stress and tissue damage. Although a basal level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is required to drive redox signaling and numerous physiologic processes, excess ROS during exercise may have adverse implications on health and performance. Antioxidant nutrients may be helpful in that regard. Caution should be exercised against excess antioxidant supplements, however. This article presents a digest for sports practitioners. The following three recommendations are made: 1) it is important to determine the individual antioxidant need of each athlete performing a specific sport; 2) multinutrient preparations, as opposed to megadoses of any single form of nutrient, seem to be a more prudent path to choose; and 3) for outcomes of antioxidant supplementation, performance should not be the only criteria. Overall well being of the athlete, faster recovery, and minimization of injury time could all be affected by antioxidant therapy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. 512 Davis Heart & Lung Research Institute, The Ohio State University Medical Center, 473 West 12th Avenue, 43210, Columbus, OH, USA

    Chandan K. Sen PhD

Authors
  1. Mustafa Atalay MD, MPH, PhD
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  2. Jani Lappalainen PhD
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  3. Chandan K. Sen PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chandan K. Sen PhD.

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Atalay, M., Lappalainen, J. & Sen, C.K. Dietary antioxidants for the athlete. Curr Sports Med Rep 5, 182–186 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11932-006-0044-x

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