Supplements May Not Help Those With Adequate Antioxidant Levels
SUFFOLK, England--Researchers at the Animal Health Trust in England studied whether antioxidants reduce and prevent oxidative stress during exercise. In research appearing in the September Equine Veterinary Journal Supplement (34:58-65, 2002) (www.ncbi.nih.gov), six horses were given vitamins C and E and the mineral selenium while the study's authors noted the animal's systemic and pulmonary antioxidant capacity and its effects on oxidative damage and pulmonary function during exercise.
It was found that healthy horses consuming a diet containing adequate levels of antioxidants did not benefit from additional antioxidant supplementation. In fact, intermittent exercise tests lasting two minutes each at 70 percent, 80 percent and 90 percent of the horses' maximum oxygen uptake failed to induce oxidative stress. The study's authors concluded that antioxidant supplementation may only become apparent if the diet is deficient in antioxidants, if exercise intensity is higher or more prolonged, or if disease or other bodily stresses are prevalent.
