title: The influence of a sports drink on the postexercise metabolism of elite athletes as investigated by NMR-based metabolomics.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study is to evaluate the systemic effects of an isotonic sports drink on the metabolic status of athletes of the Italian Olympic rowing team during recovery after strenuous and prolonged physical exercise by means of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics analysis on plasma and urine.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-four male athletes of the Italian Olympic rowing team were enrolled in a double-blind crossover study. All subjects underwent 2 evaluations at 1-week intervals. The evaluation was performed on a rowing ergometer after strenuous physical exercise to produce a state of dehydration. Afterward, the athletes were rehydrated either with a green tea-based carbohydrate-hydroelectrolyte drink or with oligomineral water. Three blood samples were drawn for each subject: at rest, after the exercise, and following rehydratation, while 2 urine samples were collected: at rest and after the rehydratation period. Biofluid samples were analyzed by high-resolution (1)H NMR metabolic profiling combined with multilevel simultaneous data-analysis (MSCA) and partial-least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The between-subject variations, as evaluated by MSCA, reflected the variations of lactate levels induced by the physical exercise. Analysis of the within-individual variance using multilevel PLS-DA models of plasma and urine metabolic profiles showed an effect of the green tea-based sports drink on glucose, citrate, and lactate levels in plasma and on acetone, 3-OH-butyrate, and lactate levels in urine. The increase of caffeine and hippuric acid levels in urine indicated the absorption of green tea extract components.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  NMR-based metabolomics allowed the complex effects of a green tea extract-based carbohydrate/hydroelectrolyte beverage on the energy metabolism of athletes during recovery by postexercise rehydration to be evaluated.
authors.affiliation: Alfredo Miccheli, Dipartimento di Chimica, Sapienza Università di Roma, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy. alfredo.miccheli@uniroma1.it
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Miccheli
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Marini
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Capuani
authors.forename: Alberta Tomassini
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Miccheli
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Delfini
authors.forename: Maria Enrica
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Di Cocco
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Puccetti
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paci
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rizzo
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Spataro
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D056352:Athletes; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007552:Isotonic Solutions / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D055432:Metabolomics; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D007552:Isotonic Solutions