Effect of Short-Term Garlic Extract Supplementation on Plasma Lactate and Serum Total Creatine Kinase in Healthy Men after an Aerobic Exercise

This study was conducted to determine effect of short- term garlic extract supplementation on plasma lactate and serum total creatine kinase in healthy men after an aerobic exercise. Twenty untrained men (age 25±3 years, body fat 15±2%, and VO2max 42±3 ml/kg/min) in a randomized and double-blind design were allocated in two equal groups: supplement group (700mg/day garlic) and placebo group (700mg/day dextrose). After 14 days supplementationperiod, all subjects were participated in an aerobic exercise protocol with 75% VO2max on the treadmill for 30 minutes. Plasma lactate and serum total creatine kinase were determined by automatic analyzers. Data were expressedas mean (±SD) and analyzed by repeated measure ANOVA, Bonferroni and independent t test using SPSS15 at α≤0.05. The results show that short-term garlic supplementation has no significant effect on basal parameters (P<0.05), whereas plasma lactate and serum CK were significantly increased after the aerobic exercise (P<0.05). However, the change range of lactate and CK after the aerobic exercise in supplementation group was less than in placebo group (P<0.05). Based on the results, it can be concluded that short-term garlic extract supplementation (14 days) can inhibit exercise-induced lactate and creatine kinase elevations (Fatigue and cellular damage) in male non-athletes.