Antioxidant supplements for running

When you are running, you can consume between twelve and twenty times more oxygen than when you are at rest, leading to the overproduction of free radicals and their resulting oxidative stress, and causing the cell and muscle damage associated with this, accelerating fatigue and delaying recovery.

Today we are going to tell you about using antioxidants for running, which helps to neutralise the harmful effects of free radicals.

What are antioxidants?

Antioxidants are a group of vitamins, minerals, natural colourings and plant compounds like polyphenols and enzymes,which have highly beneficial properties for health. They can be classified into two groups:

• Endogenous: those produced by the body itself, such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione enzymes.

• Exogenous: which can be obtained from your diet or through food supplements such as Keriba Sport.

What benefits do antioxidants provide for running?

As we have seen, consuming antioxidants helps to combat oxidative stress, thus preventing damage to a wide range of cell structures such as lipids, proteins and DNA.

However, consuming them also supports:

• Recovery after physical exercise, because it reduces the inflammation that occurs in muscle tissues by neutralising free radicals.

• Sporting performance, a direct result of the above point, as it delays the onset of exhaustion and fatigue.

• The immune system, by preventing the body from consuming more energy than usual to fight infections.

When should they be consumed?

Recent studies on the effects of antioxidants on sport show that the body’s production of endogenous antioxidants should be increased during times of training and stress. Therefore, to avoid disrupting the body’s natural production and achieve the greatest benefits, antioxidants should be consumed after training either through diet or supplements.

You can also take high doses of antioxidants at specific times, such as during periods of high-intensity training before or during a competition and to aid rapid recovery.