effect of strawberry powder supplementation on oxidative stress and physical performance in swimming athletes

Swimming athletes face potential risks associated with sport, particularly in relation to intermittent anaerobic metabolism with high intensity which can trigger high free radical formation. therefore, this study aimed to determine effect of strawberry powder supplements (fragaria vesca l.) on reducing oxidative stress and improving physical performance of swimming athletes. a pretest-posttest control group design was used and the samples included 21 swimming athletes divided into control and treatment groups. the control group received placebo while the treatment group received freeze-dried strawberry powder of up to 15 grams per day for a week. the pre and post-test data taken were plasma malondialdehyde (mda) levels and critical swim speed (css). the results showed that there was no difference in plasma mda levels p=0.05 (not significant) and css p=0.210 (not significant) in the control group before and after treatment. meanwhile, in the treatment group, there were significant differences in plasma mda levels p=0.045 (significant) and css p=0.013 (significant) before and after treatment. in conclusion, strawberry, even at a low dose in a short period, may help protect against exercise-induced oxidative stress, though further studies with a larger sample are needed to confirm these preliminary results.