Effects of sturgeon fillet intake on top-ranked Japanese female long-distance runners

The aim of this study is to investigate whether consumption of sturgeon fillets reduces the oxidative stress marker urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8OHdG) in top-ranked Japanese female long-distance runners.

In a before-and-after study, nine professional long-distance female athletes ate 100 g/day of sturgeon fillets for 2 weeks. Urinalysis (8OHdG, an oxidative stress marker, and creatinine), blood tests (fatty acids and 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25OHD]), exercise intensity, subjective fatigue, muscle elasticity, muscle mass, body fat mass, and nutritional intake using image-based dietary assessment (IBDA) were compared before, immediately after, and 1 month after the intervention.

Consumption of sturgeon fillets suppressed 8OHdG (p < 0.05) in the increased exercise intensity female athletes. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and 25OHD levels in blood increased from before to immediately after and 1 month after the intervention (p < 0.05). IBDA showed that intake of n-3 fatty acid increased after and one month after the intervention, whereas DHA, imidazole dipeptide and vitamin D intake increased after the intervention (p < 0.05) and then decreased after 1 month (p < 0.05). There were no significant changes in subjective fatigue, muscle elasticity, muscle mass, and body fat.

The results suggest that eating sturgeon fillets during intense training may increase blood levels of EPA, DHA, and 25OHD, which may suppress urinary oxidative stress (8OHdG) in top-ranked Japanese long-distance runners.