PHYSIOLOGICAL AREA 

Medicina dello Sport 2011 December;64(4):393-408

Copyright © 2012 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English, Italian

Carbohydrate intake and immunosuppression during judo training

Brito C. J. ^{1, 2}, Gatti K. ^{31, 4}, Lacerda Mendes E. ^{3, 5}, Toledo Nóbrega O. ⁶, Córdova C. ², Bouzas Marins J. C. ³, Franchini E. ⁷

¹ Federal University of Sergipe, Sergipe, Brazil 2 Catholic University of Brasília, Brasilia, Brazil 3 Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa, Brazil 4 Goiás Pontifícial Catholic University 5 Federal University of Triângulo Mineiro, Uberaba, Brazil 6 University of Brasília, Brasilia, Brazil 7 University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

Aim. Hydro-energy replacement during exercise can act as an ergogenic aid and inhibit post-exercise immunosuppression. The aim of this paper was to test the hypothesis that carbohydrate (CHO) supplementation during judo training attenuates exercise-induced immunosuppression.
Methods. Fifteen male judo athletes (age: 22.1±2.1 years; body mass: 78.4±8.9 kg) completed two 120-min training sessions, 7 days apart, in a double-blind crossover study. In the first session, eight judo athletes, separated at random, were supplemented with a CHO solution (CHO group; 3 mL/kg body mass), while the others received a placebo solution (PLA group). The opposite was conducted on the second training session. The solution was taken every 20 min in both 120-min sessions. The concentrations of glucose, leukocytes, neutrophils, lymphocytes and monocytes of athletes were measured before and immediately after exercise.
Results. The concentrations of leukocytes and neutrophils increased (P<0.05) in both groups of athletes during the training session, but athletes in the CHO group exhibited lower concentrations of leukocytes and neutrophils at the end of the session vs. athletes in the PLA group (P<0.05). The blood glucose levels of the athletes in the CHO group increased (P<0.05) but the levels of the athletes in the PLA group decreased (P<0.05) during the training session.
Conclusion. The intake of CHO solutions by judo athletes can be beneficial for the maintenance of blood glucose levels and can diminish disturbances of the immune system during a typical training session.