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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2023 Aug 15;20(10):1272-1281.
doi: 10.7150/ijms.86738. eCollection 2023.

A functional evaluation of anti-fatigue and exercise performance improvement following vitamin B complex supplementation in healthy humans, a randomized double-blind trial

Mon-Chien Lee  1 , Yi-Ju Hsu  1 , Sih-Yu Shen  2 , Chin-Shan Ho  1 , Chi-Chang Huang  1   3
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

A functional evaluation of anti-fatigue and exercise performance improvement following vitamin B complex supplementation in healthy humans, a randomized double-blind trial

Mon-Chien Lee et al. Int J Med Sci. .

Abstract

B vitamins play a crucial role in maintaining fundamental cellular functions and various essential metabolic pathways in the body. Although they do not directly provide energy, each B vitamin acts as a cofactor in energy metabolism processes. Based on the evidence presented above, we hypothesized that a 28-day supplementation of vitamin B would enhance physical performance and reduce physical fatigue. The objective of this study was to evaluate the anti-fatigue effect of vitamin B supplementation, specifically vitamin B1, B2, B6, and B12, and its potential to improve exercise performance. We employed a randomized double-blind crossover design with a 28-day supplementation period. Sixteen male and sixteen female subjects, aged 20-30 years, were divided into two groups: the placebo group (n=16, equal gender distribution) and the Ex PLUS® group (n=16, equal gender distribution). The participants received either placebo or Ex PLUS® (one tablet per day) for 28 consecutive days. Following the intervention, there was a 14-day wash-out period during which the subjects did not receive any further interventions. After supplementation with Ex PLUS®, we found a significant increase in the running time by 1.26-fold (p < 0.05) to exhaustion compared to that before supplementation and that in the placebo group. In addition, the Ex PLUS® supplementation group presented significantly reduced blood lactate and blood ammonia concentrations during exercise and at rest after exercise compared with placebo (p < 0.05). In conclusion, 28 consecutive days of vitamin B complex (Ex PLUS®) supplementation significantly improved exercise endurance performance and reduced exercise fatigue biochemical metabolites in not athletes. In addition, it does not cause adverse effects in humans when taken at appropriate doses.

Keywords: B vitamins; antifatigue; endurance; exercise performance; health.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Participant flow chart.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Experimental design.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effects of Ex PLUS® supplementation on (A) lactate, (B) NH3, (C) CK, and (D) glucose serum levels during and after exercise. Data are shown as the mean ± SD. *Significant difference compared to the placebo group (p<0.05).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Effects of Ex PLUS® supplementation on the time to exhaustion. Data are shown as the mean ± SD, n = 32 subjects/group. *Significant difference compared to the placebo group (p<0.05). #Significant difference (p<0.05) compared with the pretest in the same group.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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