Effect of four weeks supplementation with silybum marianum on indicators of serum muscle damage in incremental training wrestlers

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of four weeks incremental training with silybum marianum supplementation on Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and resting Creatine phosphokinase (CPK) levels among wrestlers.

Twenty volunteer wrestlers were randomly divided into 2 groups of 10 participants namely "Exercise with silybum marianum supplementation, and placebo with training". Written consents were received from everyone. Silybum marianum supplements were administerd every day three times at 300 mg for four weeks. At the baseline, blood samples were collected one hour, 24 hours, and 36 hours after the same wrestling exercise. Independent t-test, repeated measures ANOVA, Bonferroni post-test were used for data analysis.

AST values were significantly decreased in 24 hr (p=0.004) and 36 hr (p=0.001) post exercise training in silybum marianum group. There was also a significant decrease in CPK values 24 hr (p=0.03), and 36 hr (p=0.001) and in ALT levels 24 hr (p=0.001) and 36 hr (p=0.001) after exercise in the silybum marianum group. LDH levels were not significantly different between groups. According to the analysis of variance with repeated measures of CPK (p=0.02), AST (p=0.003) and ALT (p=0.011), there was a significant decrease in silybum marianum group.

According to the results of the present study, long-term supplementation with silybum marianum may lead to a decrease in serum markers of muscle injury, and better confrontation with the enzymes produced after training.