The modulatory role of fermented Rooibos on oxidative stress and its impact on submaximal exercise performance in adult males
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36386/sajrsper.v47i2.425Keywords:
Antioxidant, Exercise, Oxidative stress, Polyphenols, RooibosAbstract
Excessive production and accumulation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species during exercise may cause oxidative stress and impact exercise performance. Rooibos with polyphenolic constituents may modulate the effects of oxidative stress during physical activities. This blinded randomised, cross-over placebo-controlled study included 30 adult males who consumed 375 ml of standardised fermented rooibos herbal extract or placebo beverage before completing a sub-maximal exercise, followed by 10 sprint bouts on a Wattbike. Rooibos appears to enhance the endogenous antioxidant defence system with increased levels of circulatory total and reduced glutathione in the participants and decreased levels in serum markers of muscle damage, creatinine kinase and aspartate aminotransferase. Mean submaximal trials (effort=75%–80% of maximum heart rate and/or 13 RPE Borg Scale) indicated after consuming rooibos, participants cycled for longer (291.83 s vs. 253.50 s: difference=14.05%), further (2790.30 m vs. 2434.93 m: difference=13.60%); produced 3.65% more power (W) and 2.42% more force (N). Mean cardiovascular responses during rooibos were modest when compared with the increased time and distance achieved, (134.55 bpm vs. 131.26 bpm: difference=2.40%) and relative oxygen uptake (27.32 ml/min/kg vs. 25.84 ml/min/kg: difference=5.53%). This suggests that rooibos may benefit metabolic responses during submaximal exercise, demonstrating its potential as an ergogenic aid.
References
ACCATTATO, F.; GRECO, M.; PULLANO, S.A.; CARÉ, I.; FIORILLO, A.S.; PUJIA, A.; MONTALCINI, T.; FOTI, D.P.; BRUNETTI, A. & GULLETTA, E. (2017). Effects of acute physical exercise on oxidative stress and inflammatory status in young, sedentary obese subjects. PLoS ONE, 12(6): 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0178900
AJUWON, O.R., OGUNTIBEJU, O.O., & MARNEWICK, J.L. (2014). Amelioration of lipopolysaccharide-induced liver injury by aqueous rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) extract via inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 14(1): 392. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6882-14-392
ASENSI, M.; SASTRE, J.; PALLARDO, F.V.; LLORET, A.; LEHNER, M.; GARCIA-DE-LA ASUNCION, J. & VIÑA, J. (1999). Ratio of reduced to oxidised glutathione as indicator of oxidative stress status and DNA damage. Methods in Enzymology, 267-276. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0076-6879(99)99026-2
BENZIE, I.F.F. & STRAIN, J.J. (1996). The ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) as a measure of "antioxidant power": The FRAP assay. Analytical Biochemistry, 239(1): 70-76. https://doi.org/10.1006/abio.1996.0292
CANDA, B.D.; OGUNTIBEJU, O.O. & MARNEWICK, J.L. (2014). Effects of consumption of rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) and a rooibos-Derived commercial supplement on hepatic tissue injury by tert-butyl hydroperoxide in Wistar rats. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, 2014: 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/716832
CHEN, W.; SUDJI, I.R.; WANG, E.; JOUBERT, E.; VAN WYK, B.-E. & WINK, M. (2013). Ameliorative effect of aspalathin from rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) on acute oxidative stress in Caenorhabditis elegans. Phytomedicine, 20(3-4): 380-386. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2012.10.006
COPETTI, C.L.K.; ORSSATTO, L.B.R.; DIEFENTHAELER, F.; SILVEIRA, T.T.; DA SILVA, E.L.; DE LIZ, S.; MENDES, B.C.; RIEGER, D.K.; VIEIRA, F.G.K.; DE FRAGAS HINNIG, P; SCHULZ, M.; FETT, R. & DI PIETRO, P.F. (2020). Acute effect of juçara juice (Euterpe edulis Martius) on oxidative stress biomarkers and fatigue in a high-intensity interval training session: A single-blind cross-over randomised study. Journal of Functional Foods, 67: 103835. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2020.103835
D’ANGELO, S. & ROSA, R. (2020). Oxidative stress and sport performance. Sport Science, 13(April): 18-22.
DA SILVA, W.; MACHADO, Á.S.; SOUZA, M.A.; MELLO-CARPES, P.B. & CARPES, F.P. (2018). Effect of green tea extract supplementation on exercise-induced delayed onset muscle soreness and muscular damage. Physiology & Behavior, 194: 77-82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2018.05.006
DAVIES, S.; MARNEWICK, J.L. & WEST, S. (2019a). Rooibos Aspalathus linearis – Can it reduce the incidence and severity of acute mountain sickness? A case study of Aconcagua (6962 m) climbing expedition, Argentina. African Journal for Physical Activity and Health Sciences, 25(2): 232–251.
DAVIES, S.; MARNEWICK, L.; WEST, S.; TALIEP, M.S.; RAUTENBACH, F. & GAMIELDIEN, R. (2019b). The efficacy of rooibos Aspalathus linearis as an ergogenic aid during exercise. International Journal of Human Factors and Ergonomics, 6(1): 88–102.doi.org/ 10.1504/IJHFE.2019.099585.
DLUDLA, P.V.; JOHNSON, R.; MAZIBUKO-MBEJE, S.E.; MULLER, C.J.F.; LOUW, J.; JOUBERT, E.; ORLANDO, P.; SILVESTRI, S.; CHELLAN, N.; NKAMBULE, B.B.; ESSOP, M.F. & TIANO, L. (2020). Fermented rooibos extract attenuates hyperglycemia-induced myocardial oxidative damage by improving mitochondrial energetics and intracellular antioxidant capacity. South African Journal of Botany, 131: 143-150. doi.org/ 10.1016/J.SAJB.2020.02.003.
DLUDLA, P.V.; MULLER, C.J.F.; JOUBERT, E.; LOUW, J.; ESSOP, M.F.; GABUZA, K.B.; GHOOR, S.; HUISAMEN, B. & JOHNSON, R. (2017). Aspalathin protects the heart against hyperglycemia-induced oxidative damage by up-regulating Nrf2 expression. Molecules, 22(1): 1-16. doi:10.3390/molecules22010129.
DRAPER, H.H.; SQUIRES, E.J.; MAHMOODI, H.; WU, J.; AGARWAL, S. & HADLEY, M. (1993). A comparative evaluation of thiobarbituric acid methods for the determination of malondialdehyde in biological materials. Free Radical Biology & Medicine, 15: 353-363. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/0891-5849(93)90035-S
ELEJALDE, E.; VILLARAN, M.C. & ALONSO, R.M. (2021). Grape polyphenols supplementation for exercise-induced oxidative stress. Journal of International Society of Sport Nutrition, 18(3): 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-020-00395-0.
FERREIRA, P.R.; MARINS, J.C.B.; DE OLIVEIRA, L.L.; BASTOS, D.S.S.; SOARES JÚNIOR, D.T.; DA SILVA, C.D. & FONTES, E.A.F. (2020). Beverage based on whey permeate with phenolic extract of jabuticaba peel: A pilot study on effects on muscle and oxidative stress in trained individuals. Journal of Functional Foods, 65: 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2019.103749.
FINAUD, J.; LAC, G.; FILAIRE, E. & BIOLOGIE, L. (2006). Oxidative stress relationship with exercise and training. Sports Medicine, 36(4): 327-358. doi: https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200636040-00004
FRANCO, R.; NAVARRO, G. & MARTÍNEZ-PINILLA, E. (2019). Hormetic and mitochondria-related mechanisms of antioxidant action of phytochemicals. Antioxidants, 8(9): 373. doi:10.3390/antiox8090373
FOX, S.M.; NAUGHTON, J.P. & HASKELL, W.L. (1971). Physical activity and the prevention of coronary heart disease. Annals of Clinical Research, 3(6): 404-432.
FURRER, R.; HAWLEY, J.A. & HANDSCHIN, C. (2023). The molecular athlete: Exercise physiology from mechanisms to medals. Physiological Reviews, 103(3): 1693-1787. https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.00017.2022.
GLENDER JR, E.A. & RECKNAGEL, R.O. (1984). Methods in Enzymology. In In vitro Toxicity Indicators. 497 (105):331-337. Academic Press.
GOMEZ-CABRERA, M.C.; BORRÁS, C.; PALLARDO, F.V.; SASTRE, J.; JI, L.L. & VIÑA, J. (2005). Decreasing xanthine oxidase-mediated oxidative stress prevents useful cellular adaptations to exercise in rats. The Journal of Physiology, 567(1): 113-120. DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2004.080564.
GUPTA, R.K.; PATEL, A.K.; SHAH, N.; CHOUDHARY, A.K.; JHA, U.K.; YADAV, U.C.; GUPTA, P.K. & PAKUWAL, U. (2014). Oxidative stress and antioxidants in disease and cancer: A Review. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, 15(11): 4405-4409. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7314/APJCP.2014.15.11.4405.
LESMANA, R.; PARAMESWARI, C.; MANDAGI, G.F.; WAHYUDI, J.F.; PERMANA, N.J.; RADHIYANTI, P.T. & GUNADI, J.W. (2022). The role of exercise-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) hormesis in aging: Friend or foe. Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry, 56(6): 692-706. DOI: 10.33594/000000594.
MAO-JUNG, L.; PIUS, M.; LAISHUN, C.; XIAOFENG, M.; BONDOC, F.Y.; SAILETA, P.; LAMBERT, G.; MOHR, S. & YANG, C.S. (2002). Pharmacokinetics of tea catechins after ingestion of green tea and (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate by humans: Formation of different metabolites and individual variability. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, 11: 1025-1032.
MARNEWICK, J.; JOUBERT, E.; JOSEPH, S.; SWANEVELDER, S.; SWART, P. & GELDERBLOM, W. (2005). Inhibition of tumour promotion in mouse skin by extracts of rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) and honeybush (Cyclopia intermedia), unique South African herbal teas. Cancer Letters, 224(2): 193-202. doi:10.1016/j.canlet.2004.11.014.
MARNEWICK, J.L.; RAUTENBACH, F.; VENTER, I.; NEETHLING, H.; BLACKHURST, D.M.; WOLMARANS, P. & MACHARIA, M. (2011). Effects of rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) on oxidative stress and biochemical parameters in adults at risk for cardiovascular disease. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 133(1): 46-52. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2010.08.061.
MARNEWICK, J.L.; VAN DER WESTHUIZEN, F.H.; JOUBERT, E.; SWANEVELDER, S.; SWART, P. & GELDERBLOM, W.C.A. (2009). Chemoprotective properties of rooibos (Aspalathus linearis), honeybush (Cyclopia intermedia) herbal and green and black (Camellia sinensis) teas against cancer promotion induced by fumonisin B1 in rat liver. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 47(1): 220-229. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2008.11.004.
MASTALOUDIS, A.; LEONARD, S.W. & TRABER, M.G. (2001). Oxidative stress in athletes during extreme endurance exercise. Free Radical Biology and Medicine, 31(7): 911-922. Doi.org/ 10.1016/S0891-5849(01)00667-0.
MERRY, T.L. & RISTOW, M. (2016). Do antioxidant supplements interfere with skeletal muscle adaptation to exercise training? Journal of Physiology, 594(18): 5135-5147.DOI: 10.1113/JP270654.
MORRISON, D.; HUGHES, J.; DELLA GATTA, P.A.; MASON, S.; LAMON, S.; RUSSELL, A.P. & WADLEY, G.D. (2015). Vitamin C and E supplementation prevents some of the cellular adaptations to endurance training in humans. Free Radical Biology and Medicine, 89: 852-862. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2015.10.412.
MOSKAUG, J.Ø.; CARLSEN, H.; MYHRSTAD, M.C.W. & BLOMHOFF, R. (2005). Polyphenols and glutathione synthesis regulation. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 81(1): 277-283. Doi.org/ 10.1093/ajcn/81.1.277S.
NAGASAWA, T. & KAORI, M. (2017). Effects of unfermented rooibos ingestion on antioxidant potential during high intensity exercise in human. Trace Nutrient Research, 34: 74-77.
NIEMAN, D.C.; HENSON, D.A.; DUMKE, C.L.; OLEY, K.; MCANULTY, S.R.; DAVIS, J.M.; MURPHY, E.A.; UTTER, A.C.; LIND, R.H.; MCANULTY, L.S. & MORROW, J.D. (2006). Ibuprofen use, endotoxemia, inflammation, and plasma cytokines during ultramarathon competition. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 20(6): 578-584. doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2006.02.001.
PEAKE, J.M.; MARKWORTH, J.F.; NOSAKA, K.; RAASTAD, T.; WADLEY, G.D. & COFFEY, V.G. (2015). Modulating exercise-induced hormesis: Does less equal more? Journal of Applied Physiology, 119(3): 172-189. doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.01055.2014.
PERSSON, I.A.-L.; PERSSON, K.; HÄGG, S. & ANDERSSON, R.G. (2010). Effects of green tea, black tea and rooibos tea on angiotensin-converting enzyme and nitric oxide in healthy volunteers. Public Health Nutrition, 13(05): 730. doi:10.1017/S1368980010000170.
PIERCY, K.L., TROIANO, R.P., BALLARD, R.M., CARLSON, S.A., FULTON, J.E., GALUSKA, D.A., GEORGE, S.M. & OLSEN, R.D. 2018. The physical activity guidelines for Americans. Jama, 320(19): 2020-8. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.14854
PINGITORE, A.; LIMA, G.P.P.; MASTORCI, F.; QUINONES, A.; IERVASI, G. & VASSALLE, C. (2015). Exercise and oxidative stress: Potential effects of antioxidant dietary strategies in sports. Nutrition, 31(7-8): 916-922. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2015.02.005.
POLJSAK, B.; ŠUPUT, D. & MILISAV, I. (2013). Achieving the balance between ROS and antioxidants: when to use the synthetic antioxidants. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, 2013: 1-11. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/956792.
POWERS, S.K.; DEMINICE, R.; OZDEMIR, M.; YOSHIHARA, T.; BOMKAMP, M.P. & HYATT, H. 2020. Exercise-induced oxidative stress: Friend or foe? Journal of Sport and Health Science, 9(5): 415-425. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2020.04.001.
POWERS, S.K. & JACKSON, M.J. (2008). Exercise-induced oxidative stress: cellular mechanisms and impact on muscle force production. Physiological Reviews, 88(4): 1243-1276. doi:10.1152/physrev.00031.2007.
RE, R., PELLEGRINI, N., PROTEGGENTE, A., PANNALA, A., YANG, M. & RICE-EVANS, C. (1999). Antioxidant activity applying an improved ABTS radical cation decolorisation assay. Free Radical Biology and Medicine, 26(9-10): 1231-1237. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0891-5849(98)00315-3
SCALBERT, A. & WILLIAMSON, G. (2000). Dietary intake and bioavailability of polyphenols. The Journal of Nutrition, 130(8): 2073-2085.doi.org/ 10.1093/jn/130.8.2073S.
SHOOKSTER, D., LINDSEY, B., CORTES, N. & MARTIN, J.R. (2020). Accuracy of commonly used age-predicted maximal heart rate equations. International Journal of Exercise Science, 13(7): 1242-1250. doi: 10.70252/XFSJ6815
SINGLETON, V.L. & ROSSI, J.A. (1965). Colorimetry of total phenolics with phosphomolybdic-phosphotungstic acid reagents. American Society of Enologists and Viticulture, 16: 144-158. DOI:10.5344/ajev.1965.16.3.144
SMITH, C. & SWART, A.C. (2016). Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) facilitates an anti-inflammatory state, modulating IL-6 and IL-10 while not inhibiting the acute glucocorticoid response to a mild novel stressor in vivo. Journal of Functional Foods, 27: 42-54. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2016.08.055.
STEINBACHER, P. & ECKL, P. (2015). Impact of oxidative stress on exercising skeletal muscle. Biomolecules, 5(2): 356–377. doi:10.3390/biom5020356.
TEIXEIRA, V.H., VALENTE, H.F., CASAL, S.I., MARQUES, A.F. & MOREIRA, P.A. (2009). Antioxidants do not prevent postexercise peroxidation and may delay muscle recovery. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 41(9): 1752-1760. DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e31819fe8e3.
THEODOROU, A.A., NIKOLAIDIS, M.G., PASCHALIS, V., KOUTSIAS, S., PANAYIOTOU, G., FATOUROS, I.G., KOUTEDAKIS, Y. & JAMURTAS, A.Z. (2011). No effect of antioxidant supplementation on muscle performance and blood redox status adaptations to eccentric training. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 93(6): 1373-1383. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.110.009266.
THIRUPATHI, A.; PINHO, R.A.; UGBOLUE, U.C.; HE, Y.; MENG, Y. & GU, Y. (2021). Effect of running exercise on oxidative stress biomarkers: A systematic review. Frontiers in Physiology, 11: 610112. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2020.610112.
UTTER, A.C.; QUINDRY, J.C.; EMERENZIANI, G.P. & VALIENTE, J.S. (2010). Effects of rooibos tea, bottled water, and a carbohydrate beverage on blood and urinary measures of hydration after acute dehydration. Research in Sports Medicine, 18(2): 85-96.DOI: 10.1080/15438620903321102.
VECCHIO, M.; CURRÒ, M.; TRIMARCHI, F.; NACCARI, S.; CACAMO, D.; IENTILE, R.; BARRECA, D. & DI MAURO, D. (2017). The Oxidative stress response in elite water polo players: Effects of genetic background. BioMed Research International, 2017: 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/7019694
WADLEY, G.D.; ALFORD, A.T.; PEAK, J.M.; DUNLOP, C.C.; MCCARTHY, J.J. & COFFEY, V.G. (2015). Effects of antioxidant supplementation on exercise-induced muscle damage: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Physiology, 6: 313.
WAN, J.J., QIN, Z., WANG, P.Y., SUN, Y. & LIU, X. (2017). Muscle fatigue: General understanding and treatment. Experimental and Molecular Medicine, 49(10): e384-11. DOI:10.1038/emm.2017.194
WATANABE, N.; HARA, Y.; SAKUDA, S.; MORI, Y.; FURUYA, Y. & WATANABE, T. (2014). Effects of dietary green rooibos on physical endurance in swimming mice. Food and Nutrition Sciences, 05(02): 127-131. DOI:10.4236/fns.2014.52016
WOOLTORTON, E. (2003). Too much of a good thing? Toxic effects of vitamin and mineral supplements. Journal of Canadian Medical Association, 169(1): 47-48. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC164945/
YOKOTA, T.; IGARASHI, K.; UCHIHARA, T.; JISHAGE, K.; TOMITA, H.; INABA, A.; LI, Y.; ARITA, M.; SUZUKI, H.; MIZUSAWA, H. & ARAI, H. (2001). Delayed-onset ataxia in mice lacking alpha-tocopherol transfer protein: model for neuronal degeneration caused by chronic oxidative stress. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 98(26): 15185-15190. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.261456098
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Oiva V Kamati, Simeon E H Davies, Roan Louw, Laura Bragagna, Karl-Heinz Wagner, Dirk Bester, Jeanine L Marnewick (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright of the South African Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and Recreation is held by the author/s and licensed under the CC Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0
