Vitamin E Protects Against Muscle Damage

MUNCIE, Ind.--In findings presented in late September at an AmericanPhysiological Society meeting, vitamin E may protect muscle cell membranes--andultimately muscles--during resistance training exercises such as weight lifting.Bruce Craig, from Ball State University here, presented a three-week study inwhich 11 men under the age of 25, who had never weight lifted before, trainedwith weights. Six of the men took 1,200 IU of vitamin E a day, while the otherfive took a placebo.

After each subject did three sets of upper and lower body weights, Craig andhis colleagues analyzed each man's blood level for creatine kinase, an enzymethat marks muscle damage. It was found that vitamin E supplementation increasedcreatine kinase levels up to 48 hours after weight lifting. For moreinformation, visit www.the-aps.org.