Effects of natural polyphenol-rich pomegranate juice supplementation on plasma ion and lipid profiles following resistance exercise: a placebo-controlled trial

Effects of natural polyphenol-rich pomegranate juice supplementation on plasma ion and lipid profiles following resistance exercise: a placebo-controlled trial

Nutrition & Metabolism, April 2020

32322289

Achraf Ammar, Khaled Trabelsi, Stephen J. Bailey, Mouna Turki, Nicola Luigi Bragazzi, Omar Boukhris, Kais El Abed, Mohamed Bouaziz, Fatma Ayadi, Tarak Driss, Nizar Souissi, Hamdi Chtourou, Anita Hökelmann

Background: Pomegranate juice (POMj) contains abundant soluble polyphenolic antioxidant compounds and is recommended for its cardioprotective/atheroprotective properties. However, very few studies have investigated the efficacy of POMj supplementation to alter physiological responses during intensive physical exercise. This placebo-controlled study aimed to examine whether supplementation with natural polyphenol-rich-POMj could influence the ionic or lipid responses to an intensive resistance training session in elite athletes. Methods: Nine elite weightlifters (21 ± 1 years) performed two Olympic-weightlifting sessions after ingesting placebo and POMj supplements. Venous blood samples were collected at rest and 3 min after each session for assessment of plasma sodium ([Na+]), potassium ([K+]), chloride ([Cl-]), calcium ([Ca2+]), triglyceride ([TG]) and high-density lipoprotein ([HDL-C]), low-density lipoprotein ([HDL-C]) and total ([TC]) cholesterol concentrations. Results: Plasma [K+] and [TG] were lowered post-exercise compared to resting values in the PLA condition (p = 0.03 for K+ and p = 0.02 for TG) with no pre-to-post exercise differences in the other plasma ion and lipid markers (p > 0.05). Compared to rest, plasma [Na+] and [Cl-] were increased (p = 0.04, %change = 4.10% for Na+ and p = 0.02, %change = 4.44% for Cl-), but there were no differences in the other plasma ion or lipid markers post-exercise after POMj supplementation (p > 0.05). Post-exercise plasma [Na+], [Cl-], and [HDL-C] were greater following POMj supplementation compared to PLA (p = 0.01 for Cl-A nd HDL-C, p = 0.02 for Na+, and p = 0.04 for TC), with no between-supplement post-exercise differences in the other ion and lipid markers (p > 0.05). Conclusion: In conclusion, supplementation with POMj has the potential to attenuate the acute imbalance of plasma [K+] and to improve blood lipid responses (i.e., HDL-C) following resistance exercises in elite weightlifters. However, further large research in both athletic and non-athletic populations is needed to corroborate these preliminary observations and to elucidate the potential underlying mechanisms and translational potential of our novel observations. Trial registration: Name of the registry: ClinicalTrials.gov PRS The registration number: NCT02697903. Date of Registry: 03/03/2016 'Retrospectively registered'. The registration title: Pomegranate Improve Biological Recovery Kinetics in Elite Weightlifter. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: See fulltext.]