Do antioxidant supplements interfere with skeletal muscle adaptation to exercise training?
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review synthesizing mechanistic and human literature without systematic search methodology.
PubMed 26638792 · doi:10.1113/JP270654
What was done
This narrative review examined the role of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) as physiological signaling molecules in exercise adaptation, evaluating whether antioxidant supplementation interferes with skeletal muscle responses to endurance, resistance, and high-intensity exercise.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical data or effect sizes. It notes accumulating evidence that antioxidant supplementation can blunt endurance training-induced gains in endogenous antioxidant capacity, mitochondrial biogenesis, cellular defense pathways, and insulin sensitivity, though results across studies are inconsistent. Negative effects appear more consistent following overload stress and high-intensity training, and no convincing evidence indicates that antioxidant supplementation enhances exercise adaptations.
Why it matters
These findings caution against routine antioxidant supplementation during exercise training, emphasizing that exercise-induced ROS/RNS follow a hormetic pattern essential for optimal muscular adaptation.
Limits
The abstract provides no quantitative data, search criteria, study counts, or participant demographics. It acknowledges conflicting findings across studies, attributing inconsistencies to potential biological redundancy in muscle adaptation pathways.
Cited by
- supports Excessive intake of antioxidant supplements impairs normal physiological cellular signaling and adaptation.