Muscle injury has been related to resistance exercise and prolonged endurance exercise paradigms both leading to significant local mechanical constraints followed by focal disorders such as sarcolemmal damage and leakage of intracellular proteins, oedema, myofibrillar disorganization and microtrauma-triggered inflammation. These unfavorable events lead to variable soreness, swelling, loss in muscle strength and function with reduced range of motion. To date strategies finalized to minimize exercise-induced muscle injury are scarce and often not adequately supported by research studies. Based on the notion that dietary supplementations may exert a variety of beneficial effects on the skeletal muscle, in the last 20 years there has been a great deal of interest in nutritional strategies aiming to attenuate signs and symptoms of exercise induced muscle injuries. Anyhow a large number of variables influences the muscular outcome of nutritional supplements, strongly depending on nutrient type, genotype, age, and regulation of nutrient sensing pathways. Overall there is a paucity of studies on the topic, partly related to the high number of supplements to be considered and their combined use. In general nutrients as vitamins (as vitamin C), N-acetyl-cysteine, L-carnitine, creatine, and branched chain amino acids (BCAA) may exert a potential beneficial role but the underlying cellular mechanism, the optimal dosage and the duration of the pretreatment/treatment period are currently unknown. This chapter addresses the current knowledge on the potential use of nutritional supplements in preventing and/or minimizing muscle injuries due to resistance or endurance exercise training.

Nutritional Interventions as Potential Strategy to Minimize Exercise-Induced Muscle Injuries in Sports

D'ANTONA, GIUSEPPE
2013-01-01

Abstract

Muscle injury has been related to resistance exercise and prolonged endurance exercise paradigms both leading to significant local mechanical constraints followed by focal disorders such as sarcolemmal damage and leakage of intracellular proteins, oedema, myofibrillar disorganization and microtrauma-triggered inflammation. These unfavorable events lead to variable soreness, swelling, loss in muscle strength and function with reduced range of motion. To date strategies finalized to minimize exercise-induced muscle injury are scarce and often not adequately supported by research studies. Based on the notion that dietary supplementations may exert a variety of beneficial effects on the skeletal muscle, in the last 20 years there has been a great deal of interest in nutritional strategies aiming to attenuate signs and symptoms of exercise induced muscle injuries. Anyhow a large number of variables influences the muscular outcome of nutritional supplements, strongly depending on nutrient type, genotype, age, and regulation of nutrient sensing pathways. Overall there is a paucity of studies on the topic, partly related to the high number of supplements to be considered and their combined use. In general nutrients as vitamins (as vitamin C), N-acetyl-cysteine, L-carnitine, creatine, and branched chain amino acids (BCAA) may exert a potential beneficial role but the underlying cellular mechanism, the optimal dosage and the duration of the pretreatment/treatment period are currently unknown. This chapter addresses the current knowledge on the potential use of nutritional supplements in preventing and/or minimizing muscle injuries due to resistance or endurance exercise training.
2013
9789535111986
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11571/718624
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