Fatigue is a state of reduced physical activity accompanied by the characteristic discomfort and desire to rest caused by excessive physical and mental activity or disease, and exercise brings about changes in metabolism such as energy provision like cardiovascular, respiratory, thermoregulatory, and hormonal responses. As a result, demands that exceed the capacity of one or more systems, either directly in the working muscles (peripheral fatigue) or in the central nervous system (central fatigue), cause fatigue and cessation of exercise.
Fucoidan (FCD) has several bioactive effects such as anticoagulant activity, anti-inflammation; antimicrobial activity; and antioxidation; However, there are still relatively few studies directly addressing the possible ergogenic or anti-fatigue functions of FCD.
Thus, in the Blog, I would like to inform you of the study, “Fucoidan Supplementation Improves Exercise Performance and Exhibits Anti-Fatigue Action in Mice” by Yi-Ming Chen et al.
The study showed that antioxidant supplementation may prolong exercise performance, reduce metabolite production, and reduce physical fatigue.
First, they investigated the potential beneficial effects of FCD on ergogenic and anti-fatigue functions after physiological loading. Male ICR mice in three groups (n = 8 per group) were orally dosed with FCD at 0, 310, and 620 mg/kg/day for 21 days and divided into as named the vehicle, FCD-1X, and FCD-2X groups, respectively.
Forelimb grip strength values for the vehicle, FCD-1X, and FCD-2X groups were 136, 159, and 165 g, respectively (Figure 1). Forelimb grip strength in the FCD-1X and FCD-2X groups was significantly higher than in the vehicle group. In trend analysis, absolute forelimb grip strength increased dose-dependently with his FCD dose. The results showed that FCD supplementation benefited grip strength even though test animals received no training intervention.
Exercise endurance is an important index when evaluating anti-fatigue treatments. As shown in Figure 2, endurance swimming times for the vehicle, FCD-1X, and FCD-2X groups were 8.0, 14.9, and 14.4 min, respectively. The exhaustive swimming time of the FCD-1X and FCD-2X groups was 1.58-fold (p = 0.0455) and 1.63-fold (p = 0.0306), respectively. Significantly longer than vehicle groups. Based on these results, we suggest that FCD improves endurance performance even in the absence of training. Therefore, further investigation is also needed to elucidate the effects of his combined FCD supplementation and exercise training over time on endurance performance.
In addition, Lactic acid accumulates when cellular glycolysis exceeds aerobic metabolic capacity. Increased lactate concentrations lead to the accumulation of high levels of hydrogen ions, leading to acidification fatigue. Thus, we found that lactate is associated with exercise intensity, glycogen storage status, and fatigue. As shown in Figure 3A, trend analysis showed that serum lactate levels decreased dose-dependently with the FCD dose. Studies have shown that FCD supplementation may decrease blood lactate levels and increase glucose levels after acute exercise. Therefore, FCD supplementation may enhance post-exercise blood lactate removal and utilization.
Studies have shown that FCD supplementation may decrease blood lactate levels and increase glucose levels after acute exercise. Therefore, FCD supplementation may enhance post-exercise blood lactate removal and utilization. FCD treatment dose-dependently decreased serum lactate levels (p < 0.0001) and ammonia levels (p = 0.0025), and also increased blood glucose levels (p < 0.0001) after a 15-minute swim test. Furthermore, FCD supplementation had few subchronic toxic effects.
The study suggests that FCD may be an ergogenic adjuvant that may prevent the accumulation of abnormal metabolites and increase the utilization of important fuel sources. It is also thought that long-term supplementation of FCD may provide a wide range of bioactivities such as health promotion, performance enhancement, and anti-fatigue, suggesting the use of FCD as a potential ergogenic and anti-fatigue agent.
Source: Nutrients. 2015 Jan; 7(1): 239–252. doi: 10.3390/nu7010239