THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CAROTENOID STATUS AND GREEN AND YELLOW VEGETABLES INTAKE IN YOUNG SOCCER PLAYERS.

Abstract

Under normal circumstances, the body has adequate antioxidant reserves to deal with increased production of free radicals. However, if the production of free radicals is excessive as observed during strenuous aerobic exercise, the balance between prooxidants and antioxidants is lost. Taking exogenous antioxidants therefore is assumed to be of great importance in maintaining this balance. Carotenoids such as β-carotene (BC) and lycopene rich in green and yellow vegetables (GY) play an important role in oxidative damage prevention. However, relationship between daily carotenoid requirement and increasing physical activity level is not clear. Purpose: We examined the relationship between plasma carotenoid status and GY intake on young soccer players to assess the recommended amount of GY intake for young athletes. Methods: We studied 20 well-trained high school soccer players (3 hours/day, 6 times/week) and 34 age-matched untrained students. Blood samples were collected from an antecubital vein after an over night fast, after recording food intake for 3 days. Concentration of BC, α-carotene, lutein, lycopene, vitamin C, α-tocopherol and retinol in plasma were analyzed using HPLC. The average total energy and nutrient intakes for 3 days were calculated using Wellness2 for Windows 95 PC program. Results: Daily nutrient intakes of soccer players were significantly greater than the untrained group for all nutrients studied. Although the intake of GY in soccer players was significantly higher than that in untrained students (137 ± 60 g/day vs. 94 ± 59 g/day), the soccer players had a lower concentration of plasma BC, (0.48 ± 0.24 μM vs. 0.80 ± 0.39 μM). The data showed a good correlation between GY intake and plasma concentration of BC in the untrained group (r = 0.65, p < 0.05). However, there was no significant correlation between GY intakes and plasma BC in soccer players. There were no differences in the concentrations of other substrates (α-carotene, lutein, lycopene, vitamin C, α-tocopherol and retinol) between the two groups. Conclusion: These results suggest that athletes who regularly undergo vigorous exercise, need higher intakes of GY than untrained individuals for maintaining good antioxidant status within the blood.