Blueberry and Banana Consumption Mitigate Arachidonic, Cytochrome P450 Oxylipin Generation During Recovery from 75-Km Cycling

Abstract

Abstract Objectives Oxylipins are bioactive lipid oxidation products that have vital regulatory roles in numerous physiological processes including inflammation. This study determined if 2-weeks blueberry and/or acute banana ingestion influenced generation of in n-6 and n-3 PUFA-derived oxylipins during recovery from a 75-km cycling time trial. Methods Cyclists (n = 59, 38.6 ± 1.5 years of age) were randomized to freeze-dried blueberry or placebo groups, and ingested 26 grams/d (1 cup/d fresh blueberries equivalent) for 2 weeks. Cyclists reported to the lab in an overnight fasted state and engaged in a 75-km cycling time trial (185.5 ± 5.2 min). Cyclists from each group (blueberry, placebo) were further randomized to ingestion of water-only or water with Cavendish bananas (carbohydrate intake, 0.2 g/kg every 15 min) during exercise. Blood samples were collected pre- and post-2- weeks supplementation, and then 0 h-, 1.5 h-, 3 h-, 5 h-, 24 h-, 48 h-post-exercise. Plasma oxylipins and phenolic blueberry and banana metabolites were measured with ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometer (UPLC–MS/MS) using reference standards. Results Significant time × treatment effects (8 time points, 4 groups) were found for 24 blueberry-related and seven banana-related gut-derived metabolites in plasma (fdr P-value < 0.05). Significant and substantial post-exercise increases were measured for 64 of 67 identified plasma oxylipins. Oxylipins were grouped according to relevant fatty acid substrates [arachidonic acid (ARA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), α-linolenic acid (ALA), linoleic acid (LA), and enzyme systems [cytochrome P450 (CYP), lipoxygenase (LOX)]. Banana and blueberry ingestion were independently associated with significant post-exercise reductions in pro-inflammatory ARA-CYP HETEs and DiHETrEs (treatment effect, fdr P-value = 0.003). These trial differences were especially apparent within the first three hours of recovery from the 75-km cycling bout. Conclusions Prolonged and intensive exercise evoked a transient but robust increase in plasma levels of oxylipins, with a strong attenuation effect of ARA-CYP oxylipins linked to acute carbohydrate intake from bananas and 2-weeks ingestion of blueberries. Funding Sources Dole Foods, Westlake Village, CA.