The protective role of oral consumption of N-acetyl cysteine during a single session of exhaustive exercise in untrained subjects

The aim of the current study was to verify the effect of N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) supplementation on markers of oxidative stress and inflammatory response during a single session of exhaustive exercise. In a randomized placebo-controlled double-blind clinical trial, thirty healthy, untrained young males and females with a mean age of 21.33±2.39 years, weight of 59.63± 9.24 kg and height of 166.20±10.15 cm were selected and divided into 2 groups. Before starting the supplementation, blood samples were collected from all the participants. The next blood samples were collected just before the exercise started, immediately after the exhaustive exercise and after one hour of rest. Malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidative capacity (TAC), CRP, BMI and Vo2 max were determined. A significant increase was observed in MDA and CRP levels during the experiment in the placebo group. But in the treated group, the concentrations remained the same throughout the experiment. The TAC levels were significantly raised in the samples collected after NAC supplementation as compared to the placebo group. No changes were observed in the time to fatigue. Results of the current study suggest that oral consumption of n-acetyl cysteine for 24 h before a single bout of an exhaustive physical exercise could significantly reduce the harmful effects of oxidative stress. Key words: N-acetyl cysteine, oxidative stress, exhaustive exercise, reactive oxygen species, time to fatigue.