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Resveratrol antioxidant hinders training benefits

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Resveratrol, an antioxidant found in grape skins, has acquired   a reputation over the past decade as an anti-aging substance that   offers the benefits of “exercise in a pill.” In rodents, it seems   to work like a charm. But when researchers at the University   of Copenhagen tried it with humans, they found surprising   results. They put 27 older men through an intense eight-week   exercise program, while giving 14 of them a high dose of   resveratrol and the rest a placebo. The exercise program worked   in the placebo group, producing significant improvements in   aerobic fitness, blood pressure and cholesterol – but these benefits   were suppressed in the group taking resveratrol.       

This isn’t the first time antioxidants have been found to   interfere with training benefits. Back in 2008, a study found   that a gram per day of vitamin C blocked the increase in endurance-   boosting mitonchondria from training, and subsequent   studies have found similar results. Scientists now believe that   the “reactive oxygen species” that are targeted by antioxidants   serve as crucial cellular signals telling the body to adapt to the   stress of training – so if you have too many antioxidants, your   body doesn’t get the message. It’s not that resveratrol and other   antioxidants are bad – it’s just that the megadoses found in some   supplements are far greater than you find in foods, which can   throw off this delicate balance.

– Alex Hutchinson

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