Sore after a workout? Check your Free
Radicals!
During normal metabolism, your body produces
chemicals called free radicals that cause aging, degenerative diseases and
breakdown of the immune system. Free radicals can be thought of as biological
rust that attacks vital cell membranes and genes. Muscle soreness that your
feel after exercise is caused by muscle damage and inflammation - part of
which may reflect free radical production and tissue breakdown. University of
North Carolina researchers examined the effects of intense eccentric exercise
(designed to cause soreness) on markers of free radical damage. They found
that a measure of oxidative stress - protein carbonyls - was elevated during
the first 48 hours after exercise. The results suggest the possibility that
blocking free radicals with antioxidants, such as vitamin E and C, may reduce
the symptoms of post-exercise muscle soreness.
Thus, vitamins can reduce your soreness and
replenish your muscles faster for your next workout!
(Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., 34: 443-448, 2002)