BJSM reviews: A-Z of nutritional supplements: Dietary supplements, sports nutrition foods and ergogenic aids for health and performance Part 3

Until recently we have considered free oxygen radical production in the body to be a solely “negative” occurrence that might be countered by supplementation with antioxidant nutrients. The supposed benefits included improved health and mortality, and for athletes, the extra advantages of enhanced performance through a reduction in exercise-induced damage. In fact, as discussed below, The Cochrane Review1 found little or no difference in the normal population between antioxidant administration and those taking a placebo. Mortality was, in fact, slightly higher in the antioxidant group. The following review focuses on antioxidant supplementation in athletes and includes the possibility that some oxidative species play a positive role in the adaptation to exercise. In addition to this topic, there is a brief but comprehensive review on arnica.