Muscle - Krill oil ad CoQ10 boost athletic performance

Krill oil for endurance

To maintain normal muscle function during high-intensity exercise, the body must have sufficient stores of choline. In this study, 12 female and 35 male Ironman Norseman Xtreme and Spring Olympic Oslo triathletes, aged 25 to 61, took a placebo or 4 grams of krill oil per day for five weeks prior to their races.

Overall, after the triathlons, choline levels declined between 15 and 34 percent, depending on the length of the race. Those taking krill oil averaged 9.4 percent higher choline levels compared to placebo. Also, the day after the race, the krill oil group had a greater increase in choline levels than placebo.

Discussing the findings, doctors said this is the first study to show krill oil over time increases circulating choline in endurance athletes in a wide range of competition formats of varying degrees of difficulty.

Reference: Frontiers in Nutrition; 2020, 10.3389/00133

CoQ10 boosted soccer performance

Professional soccer players often damage muscle. In this study over two soccer seasons, doctors measured CoQ10—ubiquinol—levels in 49 players in the Spanish First League team Athletic Club de Bilbao, pre-season, early-, and mid-season.

Overall, those with higher circulating ubiquinol levels had lower levels of creatine kinase, an enzyme that signals muscle damage, and lower levels of the stress hormone, cortisol. Those with higher ubiquinol levels also had better kidney function and higher muscle performance during matches.

“Our results suggest high levels of plasma CoQ10 can prevent muscle damage, improve kidney function and are associated with higher performance in professional soccer players during competition,” doctors concluded.

Reference: International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research; 2020, 10.1024/0300-9831/a000659