Daily oral administration of crocetin attenuates physical fatigue in human subjects.
This study compared the effects of placebo with a carotenoid compound, crocetin, as well as an antioxidant, ascorbic acid, on physical fatigue in humans. In this double-blind, placebo-controlled, 3-way crossover study, 14 Japanese healthy volunteers (7 men and 7 women) were randomized to oral administration of crocetin (15 mg), ascorbic acid (3,000 mg), or placebo for 8 days. Subjects performed workload tests on a bicycle ergometer at fixed workloads for 120 minutes at 2 times (a total of 240 minutes) as a fatigue-inducing physical task. During the physical task, subjects performed nonworkload tests at maximum velocity (MV) of 10 seconds at 30 minutes (30-minute test) after the start of the physical task and at 30 minutes before the end of the task (210-minute test). The change in MV from the 30- to the 210-minute test was significantly higher in men who received crocetin compared with men who received placebo (P < .05). This effect of crocetin was specific to males. Administration of ascorbic acid did not change in MV from the 30-minute to the 210-minute test on males or females. These results suggest that daily administration of crocetin may attenuate physical fatigue in men.
Department of Physiology, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka 545-8585, Japan. mizuma_hiroshi@riken.jp
Hiroshi
H
Mizuma
Masaaki
M
Tanaka
Satoshi
S
Nozaki
Kei
K
Mizuno
Tsuyoshi
T
Tahara
Suzuka
S
Ataka
Tomohiro
T
Sugino
Tomoko
T
Shirai
Yoshitaka
Y
Kajimoto
Hirohiko
H
Kuratsune
Osami
O
Kajimoto
Yasuyoshi
Y
Watanabe
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001642:Bicycling / Q000502:physiology; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology; D005080:Exercise Test; D005221:Fatigue / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D005082:Physical Exertion / Q000187:drug effects*; D012737:Sex Factors; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000031:analogs & derivatives
D000975:Antioxidants; C487773:trans-sodium crocetinate; D014801:Vitamin A; D002338:Carotenoids; D001205:Ascorbic Acid