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Many people turn to vitamins and antioxidants during cold season to boost their immune system. However, for strength athletes, the effect of these substances on muscle growth could be particularly interesting. In this article, we'll take a closer look at how they interact with reactive oxygen species (ROS) and what role this might play in training.

Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)

ROS are molecules in the body containing oxygen, formed during normal metabolic processes. These molecules possess a unique characteristic – they carry an unpaired electron, making them unstable. To balance this instability, ROS tend to react with other molecules. While this is typically part of the body's natural equilibrium, an excess of ROS can lead to cellular damage.

Reactive Nitrogen Species (RNS)

Similar to ROS, RNS are molecules in the body formed during specific metabolic processes. These molecules contain nitrogen and are equally reactive. Excessive accumulation of RNS in the body can also have harmful effects, paralleling the potential consequences of an overabundance of ROS.

Impact on Muscle Building

When we engage in training, we trigger inflammatory processes in the body. Although inflammation is commonly viewed as negative, it plays a crucial role here as a regulator of many physiological functions, including hypertrophy and strength development.

However, training also induces oxidative stress, caused by the formation of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and Reactive Nitrogen Species (RNS). These ROS and RNS can lead to cellular damage. To limit this oxidative stress, vitamins and antioxidants act as a sort of fire extinguisher. These nutrients have the ability to neutralize ROS and RNS, practically serving as shields for cells to prevent potential damage during metabolism and especially during training.

It is believed that moderate amounts of antioxidants can be beneficial. However, excessive consumption of antioxidants might lead to muscles responding less strongly to training stimuli. This could result in reducing the natural stimulus for growth and adaptation (=Less gainz).

How to Counteract These Effects?

To mitigate potential negative effects on muscle adaptability, it is advisable to separate the intake of vitamins and antioxidants from the time of training. This means not consuming these nutrients in excessive amounts immediately before or after exercising.

In general, it is recommended to monitor the dosage and avoid continuously taking high doses of antioxidants. A moderate intake is usually sufficient to ensure the protective effect without excessively dampening the adaptive stimulus of the training.

What Does This Mean for the Recreational Athlete?

For those who are already familiar with my article on the basics of nutrition, it becomes clear that this topic can be considered more of a "finishing touch." If your calorie balance, training, and distribution of macronutrients are not optimal, considerations regarding reactive oxygen species or similar should be temporarily set aside. There are still numerous other aspects that should be prioritized.

Regardless of whether high-dose vitamin C supplements and antioxidants offer advantages for disease prevention, there are only minimal, if any, effects on the muscle-building progress of amateur athletes through a short-term increase in the consumption of these substances. If you want to play it safe, then take them, as mentioned earlier, spaced apart from your training sessions.

Closing Words

In the complex realms of reactive oxygen species and biochemical processes, one could easily get lost in the details. After scouring numerous articles on this topic, I consciously chose to extract the essence and summarize it in clear, easily understandable words. Why? Because I believe that for the most crucial information, in-depth insights with complicated explanations are often unnecessary. For the recreational athlete and fitness enthusiast, concise, impactful information is often much more relevant. I hope that these compact insights have provided you with the essential backup information that is more likely to stick in your memory.

And here's a pro tip: If you want to do something preventive for your immune system, there's a proven method – vaccination. It is scientifically proven to be the only way to truly boost your immune system. Everything else is essentially just compensating for targeted deficiencies.