Effect of propolis supplementation on athletic performance, body composition, inflammation, and oxidative stress following intense exercise: A triple‐blind randomized clinical trial

Abstract

Background Emerging evidence indicates that propolis as a novel potential antioxidant has unique benefits. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of propolis on oxidative stress, inflammation, body composition, and athletic performance in healthy active subjects. Methods This clinical trial was conducted on 54 male military cadets. Eligible subjects were randomly allocated to receive a single dose of 450 mg propolis twice daily for four weeks or a matching placebo containing microcrystalline cellulose. Cooper 12‐min run test and running‐based anaerobic sprint test were performed to measure aerobic and anaerobic performance. Blood samples were obtained immediately after Cooper's test to evaluate oxidative stress and inflammation status. Fat mass and fat‐free mass were analyzed using bioelectrical impedance. Results Mean changes in fat mass, fat‐free mass, anaerobic powers, fatigue index, and VO2 max did not differ significantly between the two groups after the adjustment for baseline values (P‐value>0.05). A significant change was observed in plasma levels of IL‐6 (−1.43 ± 0.11pg/mL), total oxidant status (−3.9 ± 0.2µmol/L), total antioxidant capacity (164 ± 12 µmol/L), malondialdehyde (−0.52 ± 0.03µmol/L), oxidative stress index (−0.45 ± 0.04), and glutathione (48.72±2µmol/L) in the propolis group compared with the placebo group after the adjustment for baseline values and weight changes (P‐value<0.05). Although IL‐10 concentrations had no significant changes in both groups, the ratio of IL‐6/IL‐10 significantly reduced in the propolis group compared with the placebo group (−0.174 ± 0.015 versus. 0.051 ± 0.014; P‐value: 0.041). Conclusions Our results indicated that propolis might have beneficial effects on oxidative stress and inflammation following intense activities in healthy male subjects.

Recent Update on the Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Propolis

“…Susan [ 168 ] reported the potential use of propolis as an anti-nociceptive therapy post-surgery [ 168 ]. Moreover, Soleimani [ 169 ] found that propolis supplementation reduced the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 level in male military cadets subjected to Cooper 12-min run test and running-based anaerobic sprint test [ 169 ].…”

Does propolis have any effect on rheumatoid arthritis? A review study

“…In this regard, Gao et al reported that after 18 weeks of consuming Chinese propolis, a significant increase was observed in the serum GSH, flavonoids, and polyphenols of patients with type II diabetes (Gao et al, 2018). Recently Soleimani et al also observed that the administration of propolis (450 mg/kg twice daily) significantly increased the levels of GSH and TAC and decreased total oxidant status (TOS) and MDA after 4 weeks of intervention (Soleimani et al, 2021).…”

The effect of propolis supplementation in improving antioxidant status: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of controlled clinical trials

“…We analyzed nine articles. The random sequence generation was well observed in five studies(Afsharpour et al, 2019;Darvishi et al, 2020;Gholaminejad et al, 2019;Mujica et al, 2017;Soleimani et al, 2021).…”

“…While some studies have shown its protective effect against oxidative stress, the findings are disputed. (Afsharpour et al, 2019; Ebeid et al, 2016; Gholaminejad et al, 2019; Mujica et al, 2017; Soleimani et al, 2021), whereas significant antioxidant effects have not been observed in others (Darvishi et al, 2020; Gao et al, 2018; Zhao et al, 2016). Therefore, this systematic review and meta‐analysis were conducted to explore the effect of propolis on oxidative stress and antioxidant capacity by evaluating MDA, TAC, GSH, GPx, and SOD levels.…”