- Title
- Effect of N-acetylcysteine on cycling performance after intensified training
- Creator
- Slattery, Katie May; Dascombe, Ben; Wallace, Lee Kenneth; Bentley, David J.; Coutts, Aaron James
- Relation
- Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise Vol. 46, Issue 6, p. 1114-1123
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000000222
- Publisher
- Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2014
- Description
- Purpose: This investigation examined the ergogenic effect of short-term oral N-acetylcysteine (NAC) supplementation and the associated changes in redox balance and inflammation during intense training. Methods: A double-blind randomized placebo-controlled crossover design was used to assess 9 d of oral NAC supplementation (1200 mg·d⁻¹) in 10 well-trained triathletes. For each supplement trial (NAC and placebo), baseline venous blood and urine samples were taken, and a presupplementation cycle ergometer race simulation was performed. After the loading period, further samples were collected preexercise, postexercise, and 2 and 24 h after the postsupplementation cycle ergometer race simulation. Changes in total antioxidant capacity, ferric reducing ability of plasma, reduced glutathione, oxidized glutathione, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, interleukin 6, xanthine oxidase, hypoxanthine, monocyte chemotactic protein 1, nuclear factor κB, and urinary 15-isoprostane F2t concentration were assessed. The experimental procedure was repeated with the remaining supplement after a 3-wk washout. Eight participants completed both supplementation trials. Results: NAC improved sprint performance during the cycle ergometer race simulation (P < 0.001, ηp² = 0.03). Supplementation with NAC also augmented postexercise plasma total antioxidant capacity (P = 0.005, ηp² = 0.19), reduced exercise-induced oxidative damage (plasma thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, P = 0.002, ηp² = 0.22; urinary 15-isoprostane F2t concentration, P = 0.010, ηp² = 0.431), attenuated inflammation (plasma interleukin 6, P = 0.002, ηp² = 0.22; monocyte chemotactic protein 1, P = 0.012, ηp² = 0.17), and increased postexercise nuclear factor κB activity (P < 0.001, ηp² = 0.21). Conclusion: Oral NAC supplementation improved cycling performance via an improved redox balance and promoted adaptive processes in well-trained athletes undergoing strenuous physical training.
- Subject
- antioxidant; oxidative stress; inflammation; nuclear factor κB
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1303872
- Identifier
- uon:20744
- Identifier
- ISSN:0195-9131
- Language
- eng
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