Research published in the Chinese journal Di Yi Jun Yi Da Xue Xue Bao (2003;23[9]:892–894) examined the effects of antioxidant vitamin supplementation on exercise performance.
In the study, rats were divided into five groups: a non-exercising control group, an exercise-only control group, an exercise group supplemented with vitamin C alone, an exercise group supplemented with vitamin E alone, and an exercise group given a combination of vitamins C and E.
For four weeks, rats in the exercise groups performed repeated exhaustive treadmill running. At the end of the study period, the group receiving the combination of vitamins C and E showed significant improvements in body mass, total treadmill running distance, and increased mass of the quadriceps femoris muscle. These improvements were not observed in the control groups or in the groups receiving vitamin C or vitamin E alone.
The findings suggest that combined antioxidant supplementation may enhance exercise adaptation in this animal model, whereas single-antioxidant supplementation did not produce the same effect.
