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Int J Sports Med 2024; 45(07): 485-495
DOI: 10.1055/a-2221-5688
Review

Vitamin E Does not Favor Recovery After Exercises: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Katieli Santos de Lima 
1   Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brazil
,
Felipe Schuch
2   Head of the Department of Sports Methods and Techniques, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brazil
3   Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Autonoma de Chile, Providencia, Chile
4   Instituto de Psiquiatria, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
,
Natiele Camponogara Righi
5   Postgraduate Program in Rehabilitation Sciences, Universidade Federal de Ciencias da Saude de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil
,
Léo José Rubin Neto
1   Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brazil
,
Guilherme Silva Nunes
1   Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brazil
,
Gustavo Puntel 
6   Morphology, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brazil
,
Patrícia Chagas
7   Departament of Public Health, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brazil
,
Antonio Marcos Vargas da Silva
8   Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brazil
,
Luis Ulisses Signori
9   Fisioterapia e reabilitação, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brazil
› Author Affiliations Fundings Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior — http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100002322; Finance Code 001
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Abstract

This review aimed to verify the effects of vitamin E supplementation on oxidative stress, inflammatory response, muscle damage, soreness, and strength in healthy adults after exercise. We searched the MEDLINE, EMBASE, SPORTDiscus, Cochrane CENTRAL, and Web of Science from inception to August 2023, with no language restrictions. We included randomized placebo-controlled trials evaluating the supplementation of vitamin E on the abovementioned outcomes after a bout of physical exercise in healthy participants (no restriction for publication year or language). Meta-analyses were conducted to compare vitamin E and placebo supplementations to obtain a 95% confidence interval (95%IC). Twenty studies were included (n=298 participants). The effect of supplementation was assessed between 0 h and 96 h after the exercise. Compared to placebo, vitamin E had no effects on lipid (95%IC= –0.09 to 0.42), protein (–2.44 to 3.11), SOD (–1.05 to 0.23), interleukin-6 (–0.18 to 1.16), creatine kinase (–0.33 to 0.27), muscle soreness (–1.92 to 0.69), and muscle strength (–1.07 to 0.34). Heterogeneity for the analyses on carbonyls, interleukin-6 (1 h and 3 h), and muscle soreness ranged between 70 to 94%. Supplementing with vitamin E should not be recommended to support the recovery process in healthy individuals after exercise, given the lack of efficacy in the analyzed variables following an exercise session.

Key words

physical exercise - antioxidants - alpha-tocopherol

Additional Material



Publication History

Received: 03 August 2023

Accepted: 08 November 2023

Article published online:
12 February 2024

© 2024. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Georg Thieme Verlag
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