To Vitamin C and E? Or not to Vitamin C and E? That is the question!

But it's not something that we need to search as far back as Shakespearian times to answer - with many recent studies delivering the verdict.

WILL THEY INCREASE PERFORMANCE?

Contrary to popular belief, these vitamins WON'T enhance your performance.

But that doesn't mean they won't be beneficial. A recent study [1] tested the effects of Vitamin C and E alone and together, on seven young trained male cyclists.

They were forced to complete a 60 minute steady-state ride and a 30 minute performance ride at 70% of their VO2 max.

THE RESULTS

None of the three variations of Vitamin C and E were found to improve performance.

However ,Vitamin E was found to decrease oxidative damage, but if effects were NOT found to be performance enhancing.

SO I SHOULD I BE FORGETTING THEM ALL TOGETHER?

ABSOLUTELY NOT!

Just because these vitamins don't improve performance - doesn't mean they can't and won't lend a helping hand.

VITAMIN C

Many studies have looked at Vitamin C and its role in improving exercise-induced damage.

The results have been mixed.

A series of studies [2,3] recently looked at the effects of Vitamin C on muscle soreness and damage after downhill running and intermittent shuttle running - with only ONE resulting in a decreased muscle soreness accompanied with Vitamin C supplementation.

The researchers conclude that taking more than the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of Vitamin C - may actually INDUCE damage.

The take home message here is to have no more than the upper limit of the RDA - which is 2000mg per day for men and women.

VITAMIN C for HEALTH

Vitamin C is vital for the synthesis of collagen, which makes up our tendons, ligaments, bones and blood vessels.

But performance aside, there's the overall health benefits of Vitamin C which cannot be ignored.

One study out of Texas in 2005 found that a daily dose of Vitamin C makes our white blood cells more active, when daily doses (1g) are taken for TWO weeks.

VERDICT: Take Vitamin C for your all-round health and to possibly reduce muscle damage - but don't expect huge gains in performance.

VITAMIN E

The news here is similar in regards to muscle damage - with mixed results.

Muscle damage seems to be reduced in studies done on cyclists [4] and runners [5] but not in those that featured resistance training [6, 7].

Take no more than the upper limit per day, which is 1000mg.

VITAMIN E FOR HEALTH

Vitamin E is known to protect us from eye disorders such as cataracts, and diseases such as Alzheimer’s and diabetes.

Vitamin E packs powerful antioxidant properties, which assist with our health.

Antioxidants are known to remove free radicals — the unpredictable compounds that wreak havoc on the cell structure.

Vitamin E also reduces cholesterol and the risk of developing cancer, not to mention the role it plays in keeping our skin and hair in good condition.

CONCLUSION

Get into BOTH Vitamins within the Upper Limit for the health benefits and possible reduction in muscle damage - but don't expect to see your bench press numbers go through the roof, or your sprint times to rival Usain Bolt.

 

Stay Fit, Stay Flexed!  

 

REFERENCES

[1] Bryant RJ, Ryder J, Martino P, Kim J, Craig BW. Effects of Vitamin E and C supplementation either alone or in combination on exercise-induced lipid peroxidation in trained cyclists. J Strength Cond Res 2003;17:792-800.

[2] Thompson D, Bailey DM, Hill J, Hurst T, Powell JR, Williams C. Prolonged vitamin C supplementation and recovery from eccentric exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol 2004; 92:133-138.

[3] Thompson D, Williams C, McGregor SJ, et al. Prolonged Vitamin C supplementation  and recovery from demanding exercise. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 2001;11:466-481.

[4] Rokitzki L, Logemann E, Huber G, Keck E, Keul J. alpha-tocopherol supplementation in racing cyclists during extreme exercise training. Int J Sport Nutr 1994;4:253-264.

[5] Itoh H, Ohkuwa T, Yamazaki Y, et al. Vitamin E supplementation attenuates leakage of enzymes following 6 successive days of running training. Int J Sports Med 2000;21:369-374.

[6] Beaton LJ, Allan DA, Tarnopolsky MA, Tiidus PM, Phillips SM. Contraction induced muscle damage is unaffected by vitamin E supplementation. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2002;34:798-805. [7] Avery NG, Kaiser JL, Sharman MJ, et al. Effects of vitamin E supplementation on recovery from repeated bouts of resistance exercise. J Strength Cond Res 2003;17:801-809.