Abstract
Background: Chronic intensive exercise is associated with a greater induction of oxidative stress and with an excess of endogenous advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). Curcumin can reduce the accumulation of AGEs in vitro and in animal models. We examined whether supplementation with curcumin and Boswellia serrata (BSE) gum resin for 3 months could affect plasma levels of markers of oxidative stress, inflammation, and glycation in healthy master cyclists. Methods. Forty-seven healthy male athletes were randomly assigned to Group 1, consisting of 22 subjects given a Mediterranean diet (MD) alone (MD group), and Group 2 consisted of 25 subjects given a MD plus curcumin and BSE (curcumin/BSE group). Interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα), high-sensitivity c-reactive protein (hs-CRP), total AGE, soluble receptor for AGE (sRAGE), malondialdehyde (MDA), plasma phospholipid fatty acid (PPFA) composition, and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) were tested at baseline and after 12 weeks. Results: sRAGE, NEFA, and MDA decreased significantly in both groups, while only the curcumin/BSE group showed a significant decline in total AGE. Only the changes in total AGE and MDA differed significantly between the curcumin/BSE and MD groups. Conclusions. Our data suggest a positive effect of supplementation with curcumin and BSE on glycoxidation and lipid peroxidation in chronically exercising master athletes.
Highlights
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have an important role in maintaining homeostasis through immune functions and cellular signals [1], but an excess of ROS has the potential to damage deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), proteins, and lipids
To assess the effect of curcumin and Boswellia serrata (BSE) supplementation, we examined inflammatory markers (IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα), high-sensitivity c-reactive protein (hs-CRP)), glycoxidation (AGEs, soluble receptor for AGE (sRAGE)), and lipoxidation (MDA, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA))
Randomization resulted in a significant difference of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) values at baseline between the two groups; the comparison between the groups was performed by considering differences after minus before treatment (Table 3), obviating the observed differences in AGE: at this analysis, changes in total
Summary
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have an important role in maintaining homeostasis through immune functions and cellular signals [1], but an excess of ROS has the potential to damage deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), proteins, and lipids. It has been shown that chronic intensive exercise may be associated with an increased induction of oxidative stress, which in turn has a negative impact on exercise performance and causes muscle damage [2]. Very little is known about how effective dietary intervention and oral antioxidant supplementation may be in reducing oxidative stress in athletes who exercise intensively, but there is some evidence to suggest that the administration of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients within physiological ranges may reverse exercise-induced oxidative stress and muscle damage [5]. It has been demonstrated that curcumin can reduce the accumulation of AGEs in vitro and in animal models, suggesting that this anti-glycation mechanism may relate to the antioxidant effect of the compound [7]. Chronic intensive exercise is associated with a greater induction of oxidative stress and with an excess of endogenous advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). We examined whether supplementation with curcumin and Boswellia serrata (BSE) gum resin for 3 months could affect plasma levels of markers of oxidative stress, inflammation, and glycation in healthy master cyclists
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