Serum vitamin E concentration and osmotic fragility in female long-distance runners

Vitamin E supplementation fails to impact measures of oxidative stress or the anaemia of feline chronic kidney disease: a randomised, double-blinded placebo control study

This study was designed to test the hypothesis that supplementation with vitamin E, an antioxidant, in cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD), would reduce oxidative stress and its impact on RBC membrane fragility, resulting in these cats maintaining a greater packed cell volume (PCV) compared with CKD cats not receiving supplementation.

Thirty‐six cats with CKD were randomly assigned to receive either daily vitamin E or a placebo for 3 months in a double‐blinded study design.

History and physical examination, blood pressure, complete blood count (CBC), PCV, biochemical profile and urinalysis (UA) were determined. Parameters of oxidative stress and osmotic fragility were measured. Cats were administered vitamin E or placebo once daily for 3 months. Cats were then reassessed and the diagnostics were repeated.

Twenty‐four cats completed the study, 11 in the vitamin E group and 13 in the placebo group. There were no significant differences between the two groups at the start, or upon completion of the study with regard to biochemical parameters, oxidative stress, erythrocyte osmotic fragility or PCV. None of these parameters changed significantly in either group over the treatment period.

Daily supplementation with 30 IU of vitamin E did not affect the measures of oxidative stress or the anaemia seen in cats with CKD.

Can clinicians and scientists explain and prevent unexplained underperformance syndrome in elite athletes: an interdisciplinary perspective and 2016 update

The coach and interdisciplinary sports science and medicine team strive to continually progress the athlete's performance year on year. In structuring training programmes, coaches and scientists plan distinct periods of progressive overload coupled with recovery for anticipated performances to be delivered on fixed dates of competition in the calendar year. Peaking at major championships is a challenge, and training capacity highly individualised, with fine margins between the training dose necessary for adaptation and that which elicits maladaptation at the elite level. As such, optimising adaptation is key to effective preparation. Notably, however, many factors (eg, health, nutrition, sleep, training experience, psychosocial factors) play an essential part in moderating the processes of adaptation to exercise and environmental stressors, for example, heat, altitude; processes which can often fail or be limited. In the UK, the term unexplained underperformance syndrome (UUPS) has been adopted, in contrast to the more commonly referenced term overtraining syndrome, to describe a significant episode of underperformance with persistent fatigue, that is, maladaptation. This construct, UUPS, reflects the complexity of the syndrome, the multifactorial aetiology, and that ‘overtraining’ or an imbalance between training load and recovery may not be the primary cause for underperformance. UUPS draws on the distinction that a decline in performance represents the universal feature. In our review, we provide a practitioner-focused perspective, proposing that causative factors can be identified and UUPS explained, through an interdisciplinary approach (ie, medicine, nutrition, physiology, psychology) to sports science and medicine delivery, monitoring, and data interpretation and analysis.

Recent Recommendations and Current Controversies in Sport Nutrition

Adequate nutrition is absolutely essential for optimal training and performance of the athlete. Unfortunately many athletes lack sufficient nutrition knowledge to guide proper food choices. Similarly, the health professionals that athletes most frequently turn to for nutrition advice are often ill-equipped to address specific nutritional needs and issues. This article will summarize the most recent macronutrient (i.e., carbohydrate, protein and fat) and fluid recommendations for athletes. Micronutrients that have been shown to be inadequate in the diets of athletes will also be addressed. Finally, current controversies in sport nutrition will be examined in light of the most recent research and guidelines for applications to the athlete will be provided.

Experimental guidelines for studies designed to investigate the impact of antioxidant supplementation on exercise performance

Research interest in the effects of antioxidants on exercise-induced oxidative stress and human performance continues to grow as new scientists enter this field. Consequently, there is a need to establish an acceptable set of criteria for monitoring antioxidant capacity and oxidative damage in tissues. Numerous reports have described a wide range of assays to detect both antioxidant capacity and oxidative damage to biomolecules, but many techniques are not appropriate in all experimental conditions. Here, the authors present guidelines for selecting and interpreting methods that can be used by scientists to investigate the impact of antioxidants on both exercise performance and the redox status of tissues. Moreover, these guidelines will be useful for reviewers who are assigned the task of evaluating studies on this topic. The set of guidelines contained in this report is not designed to be a strict set of rules, because often the appropriate procedures depend on the question being addressed and the experimental model. Furthermore, because no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate in every experimental situation, the authors strongly recommend using multiple assays to verify a change in biomarkers of oxidative stress or redox balance.