The Effect of Short-term Administration of High-dose Vitamins E and C on Serum Creatine Kinase and Myoglobin in the Resting Phase of Elite Sanda Athletes: A Randomized Trial

Background: Muscle damage during continuous and intensive sports activities is common; therefore, experts in the field of sports medicine pay special attention to this issue. Objectives: We investigated the short-term effect of high-dose vitamin C and E supplements on serum levels of creatine kinase (CK) and myoglobin in elite athletes of the Sanda field. Methods: This research was a parallel single-blind randomized study design in which elite Sanda athletes were matched based on weight and randomly assigned to the vitamin C + E supplement (n = 10) and placebo groups (n = 10). Subjects took vitamin C (1400 U per day) and vitamin E (2000 U per day) supplements for 4 days (3 days before the competition and on the competition day). Blood sampling was done on the morning of the competition and 24 hours later (the following day) to measure serum levels of CK and myoglobin. Results: The serum CK level had a significant decrease in the supplement group (P = 0.001; mean ± SD: 237.2 ± 19.28), and myoglobin significantly increased (P = 0.001; mean ± SD, 41.1 ± 1.97) compared with the placebo group. Also, a paired sample t test showed that serum CK and myoglobin levels significantly decreased (P = 0.001; pretest, 307.7 ± 5.56; posttest, 237.2 ± 19.28) and increased (P = 0.005; pretest, 24.2 ± 2.7; posttest, 41.1 ± 1.97) in the supplement group, respectively, compared to the pretest values. However, no significant difference was observed in the placebo group. Conclusions: Short-term intake of high-dose vitamins C and E can facilitate recovery during competitive events such as Sanda. This claim can be defended based on the changes in CK and myoglobin in the blood serum of athletes.