Effect of Phlebodium Decumanum on muscle damage, inflammation and cortisol during a precompetitive mesocycle in a National Volleyball Team

Abstract

The severe training load of a competitive mesocycle may not be assimilated correctly by athletes, and can provoke endocrine imbalance, muscle damage and inflammation. Supplementation with antioxidants such as Phlebodium Decumanum (PHL) helps protect against such imbalances. The aim of this study is to analyse the effect of PHL on the fatigue during a precompetitive mesocycle in volleyball players. Twenty-four male volleyball players were divided into two groups (experimental and control). The experimental group was supplemented with three PHL capsules in the morning and three in the afternoon for 20 days. Blood samples were taken before training, at the end of the third week and at the end of the fourth week to evaluate creatine kinase (CK), interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 10 (IL-10) and cortisol. The results show the control group, the third Cortisol were significantly increased (p 0.5; 90% CI) in CK, IL-6 and TNF-α. In conclusion, PHL supplementation during a precompetitive mesocycle by volleyball players protects against the muscle damage, inflammatory modulation and cortisol response caused by fatigue. Keywords: Inflammation, Cortisol, Antioxidants, Inflammatory response, Muscle damage.

Keywords

• Inflammation
• Cortisol
• Antioxidants
• Inflammatory response
• Muscle damage