Vitamins found to curb exercise benefit

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/12/health/research/12exer.html?_r=2&emc=eta1
 
In short:
The Jena team found that in the group taking the vitamins there was no improvement in insulin sensitivity and almost no activation of the body’s natural defense mechanism against oxidative damage.
The reason, they suggest, is that the reactive oxygen compounds, inevitable byproducts of exercise, are a natural trigger for both of these responses. The vitamins, by efficiently destroying the reactive oxygen, short-circuit the body’s natural response to exercise.
“If you exercise to promote health, you shouldn’t take large amounts of antioxidants,” Dr. Ristow said. A second message of the study, he said, “is that antioxidants in general cause certain effects that inhibit otherwise positive effects of exercise, dieting and other interventions.” The findings appear in this week’s issue of The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
 
 

"If you exercise to promote health, you shouldn’t take large amounts of antioxidants"

I agree.  But most vitamins that are OTC do not contain large amounts of antioxidants.  What I find lacking in these mainstream media studies is that...

What is large amounts?

1g?
500mg?

I don't know.  Just large.  While I've seen this report and one study doesn't prove anything, I still feel there's maybe some value.  But does that mean I quit drinking green tea because it may be excessive?

Depends.. what is excessive?  What is a large amount?

We've have to dig and find the study to determine what "large" is defined as.. poor consumers who read this and take it at face value without first determining what the frame of reference is for this study.

Marc C. David - NGA CPT
Author of NoBull Bodybuilding
www.nobullbodybuilding.com

PDF: http://www.pnas.org/content/106/21/8665.full.pdf+html

"We evaluated the effects of a combination of vitamin C (1000 mg/day) and vitamin E (400 IU/day)..."

One particular interesting result in the study was the decrease in fasting plasma insulin levels following exercise in the absence of antioxidants, consistent with improved insulin sensitivity. 

My opinion is that if you exercise to promote health, to some degree you aim to create a more antagonistic environment for your body to adapt to thus making everyday life much less stressful. But, supplementation can sometimes preclude this. I think what people tend to do wrong is to take anything under the sun which is thought beneficial to health. This study is at least one example that, although there may be some benefit to supplementation, we dont understand enough yet to know when, how much and for who it is best used.

Mostly, its just a nice reminder for me to keep with the good foods.
 

How does timing of antioxidant ingestion come in to play?  The study doesn't say when they gave the men the vitamins C and E.  I can make the assumption that it was post-workout.  And that is probably the case.  But, it doesn't say anything about the effects if you take those two vitamins with breakfast and then workout hours later.

I take a vitamin w/ antioxidants in the morning with breakfast, but not after a workout.  I also drink 3 cups of green tea throughout my work day, the last one being about 2 hours before I lift.  Would they then have a negative effect?

For me, those questions need to be answered if I'm going to believe the hype.

"But a true champion, face to face with his darkest hour, will do whatever it takes to rise above. A man fights, and fights, and then fights some more. Because surrender is death, and death is for pussies."

Marc David


"If you exercise to promote health, you shouldn’t take large amounts of antioxidants"

I agree.  But most vitamins that are OTC do not contain large amounts of antioxidants.  What I find lacking in these mainstream media studies is that...

What is large amounts?

1g?
500mg?

I don't know.  Just large.  While I've seen this report and one study doesn't prove anything, I still feel there's maybe some value.  But does that mean I quit drinking green tea because it may be excessive?

Depends.. what is excessive?  What is a large amount?

We've have to dig and find the study to determine what "large" is defined as.. poor consumers who read this and take it at face value without first determining what the frame of reference is for this study.

I agree, find the original study, as this may be nothing more than someone's subjective interpretation of the work and not an accurate report.

175 lbs
47 48 years old
Feeling pretty good