Cashew apple juice supplementation enhanced fat utilization during high-intensity exercise in trained and untrained men

Abstract

BackgroundExercise training is known to increase fat utilization during exercise. Diets containing antioxidants and branch chain amino acids (BCAAs) are also reported to have potential effects on fat utilization. Cashew apple juice (CAJ) comprises many nutritional components including vitamin C and BCAAs. This study aimed to investigate the effect of CAJ supplementation on substrate utilization during high-intensity exercise in trained and untrained subjects.MethodsTen trained and ten untrained men were randomly supplemented with either placebo (PLA) or CAJ at 3.5 ml/kg body mass (BM) /day for 4 weeks with a 4-week washout between treatments in a randomized cross-over design. Before and after the 4-week supplementations all subjects performed cycling exercise at 85% of maximal oxygen consumption for 20 minutes. At rest, before, and immediately after the exercise, venous blood samples were taken to determine glucose, insulin and lipid concentrations. Expired air was collected during the 20 minutes of exercise to calculate substrate utilization.ResultsDuring the exercise in both trained and untrained groups, there were lower carbohydrate (CHO) and higher fat oxidation rates and contributions to total energy expenditure after the CAJ supplementation compared to the PLA supplementation (p<0.05). These values were greater in the trained group than the untrained group except CHO oxidation rates (p<0.05), which were not significantly different. Moreover, in both trained and untrained groups, resting plasma vitamin C concentrations were significantly higher after the CAJ supplementation compared to the PLA supplementation, without any change after the PLA supplementation. These values were greater in the trained group than the untrained group (p<0.05). There were no significant differences in glucose, insulin or lipid concentrations between the groups’ blood samples.ConclusionThe findings of this study suggest that CAJ supplementation enhanced fat oxidation during exercise may enhance endurance performance, but specific studies are needed to assess this possibility.

Antioxidant and anti-nociceptive effects of Phyllanthus amarus on improving exercise recovery in sedentary men: a randomized crossover (double-blind) design

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Cashew apple juice supplementation enhances leukocyte count by reducing oxidative stress after high-intensity exercise in trained and untrained men

“…Indeed, it is possible that CAJ acts to attenuate the immunosuppressive effect following both overload training and a single bout of high-intensity exercise in sedentary individuals. Besides, CAJ supplementation was shown by our previous study to increase endurance and strength performance [6]. The improved performances may be due to the improved immune system, oxidative stress and stress hormone.…”

“…Cashew apple juice (CAJ), a product of cashew manufacturing, has been reported to improve immunological mechanisms by regulating balance between reactive oxygen species and antioxidant concentrations in mice [5]. Previous studies confirmed that four- and 12-week-consumption of CAJ elicited antioxidant effects in both untrained and trained subjects [6, 7]. That effect may have been due to its essential nutritional components, including vitamin C and anacardic acids, which have established antioxidant activity [8, 9].…”

Influence of preliminary exercise training on muscle damage indices in rats after one bout of prolonged treadmill exercise

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