Molecular Hydrogen Mitigates Performance Decrement during Repeated Sprints in Professional Soccer Players.

Michal Botek,Jakub Krejčí,Andrew Mckune,Iva Klimešová,Michal Valenta,Deepesh Khanna,Barbora Sládečková

doi:10.3390/nu14030508

Abstract

Hydrogen-rich water (HRW) supplementation has been shown to have an antifatigue effect across different modes of exercise. However, its effect on repeated sprint performance is unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of pre-exercise HRW consumption on repeated sprint performance, lactate, and perceptual responses using a repeated sprint protocol. This randomized, double blinded, placebo controlled, crossover study included 16 professional, male soccer players aged 18.8 ± 1.2 years. Athletes performed two indoor tests, particularly 15 × 30 m track sprints interspersed by 20 s of recovery, separated by a 1-week washout period. Sprint time was measured at 15 m and 30 m. Ratings of perceived exertion were assessed immediately after each sprint, and post-exercise blood lactate concentration was measured after the last sprint. There were significantly faster sprint times after HRW consumption compared with placebo at 15 m for the 14th and 15th sprints, representing improvements in time of 3.4% and 2.7%, respectively. Sprint time at 30 m also significantly improved by 1.9% in the HRW group in the last sprint. However, neither lactate concentrations nor ratings of perceived exertion were significantly different between HRW and placebo. Pre-exercise HRW supplementation is associated with an increased ability to reduce fatigue, especially during the later stages of repeated sprint exercise.

Highlights

Success in the majority of racquet and team sports is dominated by technical and tactical skills [1], the importance of repeated sprint ability (RSA) seems to be a crucial fitness component of soccer performance [2]
The primary findings of the present study were as follows: (a) a significantly faster 0–30 m sprint time for hydrogen-rich water (HRW) compared to placebo during the last sprint; (b) for the 0–15 m distance, the 14th, and 15th sprints were significantly faster for HRW compared to placebo, representing improvements of 3.4% and 2.7%, respectively; (c) no significant differences between HRW and placebo were found for post-exercise blood lactate concentration or ratings of perceived exertion (RPE)
In the context of repeated sprint exercise, it was recently suggested that excessive levels of ROS/RNS may cause a reduction in both mitochondrial efficiency and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production [16]

Summary

Introduction

Success in the majority of racquet and team sports is dominated by technical and tactical skills [1], the importance of repeated sprint ability (RSA) seems to be a crucial fitness component of soccer performance [2]. In relation to the potential limitations of energy metabolism, ATP depletion during a single 6 s cycling sprint was reported to be negligible [9,10], whereas muscle creatine phosphate (CrP) concentration was reduced to almost 50% of its resting values and only recovered up to 69% of pre-exercise level after a 30 s recovery [10]. It is widely accepted that CrP stores represent the most immediate and powerful “energy buffer” for ATP resynthesis, especially during a single 3 s sprint, where its contribution to ATP resynthesis was estimated to be 55%, compared with anaerobic glycolysis and the aerobic metabolic pathway, which covered approximately 33% and 3% [10,11], respectively. Despite the aerobic energy contribution, there is no strong evidence demonstrating a positive association between maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) and RSA performance [13]. Previous research reported that RSA performance was more likely affected by muscle mitochondrial respiration rate than the magnitude of VO2max [14]

Objectives

Methods

Findings

Conclusion