The Effects of Omega-3 and Branched-Chain Amino Acids Supplementation on Serum Apoptosis Markers Following Acute Resistance Exercise in Old Men.

The potential benefits of omega-3 fatty acids and branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) supplements on exercise-induced apoptosis are not clear. In a crossover randomized study, 11 men (age = 62.8 ± 2.2 years) performed an acute bout of resistance exercise and underwent 1-week supplementation with either 20 g of BCAA or 2,700 mg of omega-3/day. Subjects performed the same exercise after supplementation protocols. Following a 3-week washout period, subjects switched groups. Circulating levels of soluble Fas ligand (sFasL), cytochrome c, Bax, Bcl-2, and nuclear factor-kappa B were measured before and immediately after exercise sessions. sFasL, cytochrome c, and Bax increased after exercise. Simple main effect of time on sFasl was significant in control trial but not in omega-3 and BCAA trials. There were no differences in nuclear factor-kappa B and Bcl-2 between control and supplement trials. This study showed that adding omega-3 fatty acids or BCAA to the dietary regime of old men could partially attenuate resistance exercise-induced apoptosis.

Influence of Creatine Supplementation on Apoptosis Markers After Downhill Running in Middle-Aged Men: A Crossover Randomized, Double-Blind, and Placebo-Controlled Study.

OBJECTIVE: Strenuous exercise can induce apoptosis in a variety of tissues. We investigated the effects of creatine loading on apoptosis markers after downhill running. DESIGN: Twenty-two middle-aged men were randomly assigned to either a creatine or a placebo group. Crossover design, double-blind controlled supplementation was performed using 20 g/d(-1) of creatine or maltodextrin for 7 days. Downhill running (12% incline) at 70% of heart rate maximum for 40 mins was performed on the eighth day. Blood samples were taken on the day before supplementation, after supplementation and after running. RESULTS: There were no significant changes in the caspase-3, caspase-9, p53, Bax, and IGF-1 concentrations from presupplementation to postsupplementation in both groups of creatine and placebo (P > 0.05). There were significant increases (P < 0.05) in serum caspase-3, caspase-9, p53, and Bax after running in the placebo group. These markers were not noticeably changed in the creatine group (P > 0.05). Bcl-2 was unchanged in the placebo group but substantially increased (P < 0.05) in the creatine group. No significant changes were observed in IGF-1 concentration after running comparing to prerunning in both groups (P > 0.05). Lactate levels increased similarly in both groups (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that creatine supplementation could prevent exercise-induced apoptotic markers.

Effects of very short rest periods on hormonal responses to resistance exercise in men.

The effect of 3 different rest periods on the acute hormonal responses to resistance exercise (RE) was examined in 10 experienced resistance trained men (age: 20.37 +/- 2.24 years, weight: 65.5 +/- 26.70 kg). On 3 separate sessions of an RE protocol, subjects were assigned in a random order a rest interval of 60 seconds (P60), 90 seconds (P90), or 120 seconds (P120) between sets. The RE session consisted of 4 sets of squat and bench press to failure using 85% of 1 repetition maximum. Blood draws occurred at pre-exercise (T0), immediately post (T1), and 30 minutes post (T30) exercise for measurement of serum growth hormone (GH), testosterone (TS), and blood-lactate concentrations. Serum GH concentrations were significantly higher at T1 in P60 (64%) compared with P120. Also, serum TS concentrations were significantly higher at T1 in P120 (65%) and P90 (76%) compared to P60 (p < or = 0.05). Blood-lactate concentrations significantly increased at T1 for 3 protocols, but no significant protocols differences were observed. Although, training volume by using P90 and P120 was greater than that of P60, statistically a significant difference in training volume was not observed. The results of the present study support rest period in RE sets as an important variable to increase the anabolic hormone concentrations, and it should be mentioned that short rest intervals elevated greater increase in GH concentration compared with 120-second rest. However, TS response was greater in the RE protocol with a 120-second rest interval between sets.