preventive effects of spirulina platensis on exercise-induced muscle damage, oxidative stress and inflammation in taekwondo athletes: a randomized cross-over trial

Background: spirulina is an interesting nutritional supplement that has attracted a lot of attention. the aim of the present study was to examine the effect of spirulina supplementation on oxidative stress, inflammatory factors and plasma markers of exercise-induced muscle damage in male taekwondo athletes. methods: a total of 18 trained taekwondo male athletes took part in a double-blind, placebocontrolled crossover study. each subject received either spirulina (8 g/day) or placebo for 3 weeks. the study had two periods separated by a 14-day washout. blood samples were taken after finishing a training checklist program (4 times in total). results: there were no significant carryover effects; therefore, the two-week washout period was adequate. compared to the placebo, a dose of 8 g / d of spirulina supplement over 21 days resulted in a significant decrease in plasma levels of lactate dehydrogenase (ldh), creatine kinase (ck) and interleukin 6 (il6) and a significant increase in plasma levels of total antioxidant capacity (tac), superoxide dismutase (sod) and glutathione peroxidase (gpx) (p<0.05). there was not any statistically significant change in the plasma malondialdehyde (mda) (p>0.05). conclusion: due to the improvement of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory conditions as well as appropriate protein content, spirulina supplementation can produce a preventive effect on exercise-induced muscle damage in taekwondo athletes.