Serum changes of glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase in inactive females consumed coenzyme Q10 following of moderate and severe acute resistance training

Moderate to severe exercise trainings may damage most of the body’s tissues, but the use of antioxidant supplements can modulate the exercise-induces oxidative stress. The purpose of the present study was to investigate serum changes of glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in sedentary females consumed coenzyme Q10 following a moderate or severe acute resistance training.

The present research was a semi-experimental study. Twenty seven female students were randomly divided into three groups including two resistance training groups and one control group. Two intervention groups performed one session of resistance training with moderate intensity (70% 1RM) and severe intensity (85% 1RM) at the beginning and end of two weeks of the research protocol. During these two weeks, they orally consumed 30 g/day coenzyme Q10 supplement. Blood sample was taken immediately after the acute training and supplementation. GPX and SOD activity were measured by enzymatic colorimetric method. The results were extracted using repeated measure ANOVA and LSD tests at the p<0.05 significant level.

Moderate and severe acute resistance training did not cause a significant changes in serum enzyme GPX (p=0.06, p=0.19 respectively) and SOD (p=0.42 and p=0.61 respectively) activity, but after two weeks of coenzyme Q10 supplementation it was associated with increases in the activity of SOD (p=0.01, p=0.006) and GPX (p=0.01). Comparing the effect of the two types of training, intensive resistance training resulted in a further decrease in GPX index (p=0.002).

The use of short-term coenzyme Q10 supplementation improves antioxidant status of sedentary individuals and can alleviate the anxiety of practitioners to avoid the damaging effects of oxidative stress after intense acute resistance training (above 85% 1RM) and can be included with other supplements as a nutritional strategy.