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Post‐160‐km race illness rates and decreases in granulocyte oxidative burst activity and salivary IgA output are not countered by quercetin ingestion
Author(s) -
Henson Dru Anne,
Nieman David C.,
Davis J. Mark,
Murphy E. Angela,
Carmichael Martin D.,
Dumke Charles L.,
Gross Sarah J.,
Jenkins David P.,
Quindry John C.,
McAnulty Steven R.,
McAnulty Lisa S.,
Utter Alan C.,
Mayer Eugene P.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.21.6.a1249-a
Subject(s) - saliva , respiratory burst , medicine , placebo , absolute neutrophil count , gastroenterology , immunology , neutropenia , pathology , alternative medicine , toxicity
Purpose: To measure effects of quercetin (Q) vs placebo (P) on incidence rates of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI), leukocyte subsets, granulocyte oxidative burst activity (GOBA), and salivary IgA secretion (sIgA) in competitors of the 160‐km Western States Endurance Run (WSER). Methods: Sixty‐three runners were randomized to Q and P groups, and under double blinded methods ingested 1000 mg/day Q for 3 wks before, during, and 2 wks after the WSER. Thirty‐nine of the 63 subjects (N=18 for Q, N=21 for P), finished the race and provided blood and saliva samples the morning before the race and 15–30 min post‐race. URTI was assessed during the week before and the 2‐wk period after the WSER using an illness symptom checklist. Results: Race times did not differ significantly between Q and P (26.4±0.5 and 27.5±0.6 h, respectively, P=0.237). Significant pre‐to‐post WSER decreases were measured for natural killer (NK) cell counts (43%), GOBA (55%), and sIgA (48%), and an increase in neutrophil cell count (288%), with no significant group differences. Post‐WSER illness rates did not differ between groups (Q = 4/18 vs. P = 5/21, P = 0.879). Conclusions: Q supplementation had no effect on illness rates, leukocyte subset counts, or decreases in GOBA and sIgA. Partially supported by a grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Army Research Office (ARO), award number W911NF‐06‐0014.