بررسی اثر امگا-3 بر استرس اکسیداتیو در مردان کاراته کار حرفه ای

Background and purpose: Intense and prolonged exercises generate reactive oxygen species that leads to cell damage. It seems that using antioxidant supplements reduce exercise-induced oxidative stress. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of omega-3 supplements on oxidative stress in elite karate athletes. Materials and methods: Sixteen elite male karate athletes were randomly divided into two groups, receiving Omega-3 supplements (experimental) and placebo (control). The subjects consumed 1200 mg omega-3 (720 mg EPA and 480 mg DHA) and placebo daily for four weeks. Both groups participated in increased karate training programs (three days a week for a month). Blood samplings were performed pre and post-training period to analyze oxidative stress index (malondialdehyde), anti-oxidative index (superoxide dismutases), and lipid profile (cholesterol and triglycerides). The student’s t-test was used to analyze the data. Results: Taking omega-3 led to a significant reduction in resting malondialdehyde levels in experimental group (t= 2.38, P= 0.045) but there was no significant change in resting malondialdehyde for the placebo group (t= 0.708, P= 0.506). Also, the resting malondialdehyde levels were not significantly different between the experimental and placebo groups (t=2, P=0.065,). Superoxide dismutases rate had no significant increase in experimental and the placebo groups (t= 0.272, P= 0.792, t=1.39, P= 0.186, respectively). There was also no significant difference between the two groups (t=1.39, P=0.186). After four weeks cholesterol concentration was significantly lower in the experimental group (t=2.97, P=0.018) while this reduction was not significant in the placebo group (t=0.694, P=0.514). Also, the difference between the two studied groups was not significant (t=1.44, P=0.172). Concentration of triglyceride significantly decreased in both groups (t=0.835, P=0.428, t=1.38, P=0.217, respectively). There was no significant difference between the two groups (t=1.04, P=0.315). Conclusion: Omega-3 supplements increased the serum levels of antioxidant biomarkers and reduced the resting levels of lipid profiles in exercise-trained men, but it was not enough for exercise-induced attenuation in oxidative stress. Therefore, more research is needed to draw accurate conclusions regarding the effects of omega-3 and exercise on oxidant/antioxidant factors on excersise-trained people.