Deep ocean minerals have sports supplement potential for middle-aged men: Study
Earlier studies have produced consistent results as to the ability of oral supplementation of deep ocean minerals (DOM) to improve vascular function in animals, and to enhance muscle power output in humans during exercise.
Based on this, researchers in Taiwan, as well as Thailand and the UK, conducted a study to determine the effects of DOM supplementation on the cerebral haemodynamic response of young and middle-aged men during physical exertion.
Crossover studies conducted
They recruited 12 young men aged around 21 and nine middle-aged men aged between 45 and 48 years for double-blind placebo-controlled crossover studies.
They then conducted counter-balanced trials of DOM (consisting of desalinated materials and trace elements from seawater collected -618m below the earth’s surface) and placebo, separating them with a two-week washout period.
The participants were orally supplemented with either DOM or a placebo in beverages prior to, during, and after exercise. Their tissue haemoglobin was measured while they were cycling at 75% of the maximum amount of their oxygen utilisation, also called VO2max.
Age advantage?
Subsequently, the researchers observed that the cycling time to exhaustion at 75% VO2max, as well as the associated plasma lactate response, were similar in both the DOM and placebo trials for both age groups.
When it came to cerebral haemoglobin levels, however, DOM was found to "significantly elevate" them in the younger men.
This elevation was even greater in the middle-aged men, compared with both age groups in the placebo trial.
In addition, an "increased neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was observed in middle-aged men two hours after exhaustive cycling, but was attenuated by DOM".
The researchers wrote: "Our data suggest that minerals and trace elements from deep oceans possess great promise in developing supplements to increase the cerebral haemodynamic response against a physical challenge, and during post-exercise recovery for middle-aged men."
They elaborated that the results lent more credence to the hypothesis that minerals and trace elements derived from deep oceans could raise the nutritive complexity of humans against physical challenges.
This was propelled by improved cerebral haemodynamic response during exercise, and lowered systemic inflammation in the recovery phase.
They concluded: "Our findings suggest a promising application of using DOM to develop supplements for improving cerebral haemodynamic responses during physical challenges in middle-aged men."
Source: Frontiers in Physiology
https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2017.01016
"Deep Ocean Mineral Supplementation Enhances the Cerebral Hemodynamic Response during Exercise and Decreases Inflammation Postexercise in Men at Two Age Levels"
Authors: Ching-Yin Wei, et al.
