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. 2018 Aug 17:9:1137.
doi: 10.3389/fphys.2018.01137. eCollection 2018.

Green Tea Extract Preserves Neuromuscular Activation and Muscle Damage Markers in Athletes Under Cumulative Fatigue

Álvaro S Machado  1 , Willian da Silva  1 , Mauren A Souza  2 , Felipe P Carpes  1
Affiliations

Green Tea Extract Preserves Neuromuscular Activation and Muscle Damage Markers in Athletes Under Cumulative Fatigue

Álvaro S Machado et al. Front Physiol. .

Abstract

A main implication of cumulative fatigue is the muscle damage that impairs neuromuscular function and training adaptations. These negative effects may limit performance when athletes exercise in consecutive days. In this regard, antioxidant supplementation has gain popularity among athletes. Green tea supplementation has been advocated as a strategy to improve exercise recovery due to the activity of its catechins with high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential. Here we performed a triple blinded placebo control experiment to determine the effect of green tea extract (GTE) from Camellia sinensis on muscle damage, oxidative stress, and neuromuscular activity in athletes submitted to consecutive sessions of exercise and fatigue. Sixteen trained amateur male athletes were randomly assigned to a GTE supplemented (500 mg/day) or placebo group during 15 days. Effects of supplementation were tested during repeated trials of submaximal cycling at 60% of peak power output performed after a protocol for cumulative fatigue of knee extensors. Muscle damage and oxidative stress showed lower magnitudes in response to fatigue after GTE supplementation. Placebo group showed impaired neuromuscular activity and higher muscle damage and oxidative stress compared to the GTE group during the cycling trials under fatigue. In summary, GTE supplementation showed positive effects on neuromuscular function in response to a condition of cumulative fatigue. It suggests GTE supplementation may have potential to serve as a strategy to improve performance and recovery in conditions of cumulative exercise.

Keywords: Camellia sinensis; endurance; exercise recovery; fatigue; polyphenols.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Experimental design. All participants completed the same protocols. Experiment started with the incremental maximal test to determine peak power output (PPO). Five days later, participants completed a submaximal cycling trial at constant load of 60% PPO, and the randomization of GTE and placebo supplementation was performed. In the last 3 days of supplementation participants repeated the submaximal cycling trial after two sessions of knee extensors exercise to fatigue. To avoid learning effects from the first test on the results after fatigue condition, half of the participants from each group performed the non-fatigue submaximal cycling test after the fatigue period, and the other half before. rpm: cadence, in revolution per minute, PPO: PPO, EMG: record of electrical muscle activation by surface electromyography, RVL: vastus lateralis from right leg, left vastus lateralis (LVL): vastus lateralis from left leg.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Plasma (A) creatine kinase (CK) and (B) plasma lipid peroxidation measured by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). ∗P < 0.05 between groups comparisons; #P < 0.05 higher than A and B for the same group; †P < 0.05 higher than C for the same group. MDA = Malondialdehyde.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Heart rate (HR) curve slope over time of exercise in the different groups and conditions. ∗P < 0.05 between conditions.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Results of neuromuscular electrical activity obtained from GTE and placebo groups during the cycling trials with and without fatigue condition. Data are shown as mean (bars) and standard deviation (vertical lines) for (A) root mean square (RMS) and (B) median frequency (MDF) normalized to the moment 1 for right (RVL) and left vastus lateralis (LVL). ∗P < 0.05 difference between conditions for the same group at a moment.
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