Episode 23 : Are Your Vitamins KILLING Your Gains? The Antioxidant Trap Explained 💊

Episode 23 : Are Your Vitamins KILLING Your Gains? The Antioxidant Trap Explained 💊💬 Got a question or feedback? Write us at: [email protected]☕ Buy a Gel Caf for Lactate to support the work: ko-fi.com/lactateSummary: For decades, the fitness industry sold the myth that "more is better," but the Antioxidant Paradox reveals that your post-workout multivitamin might be chemically castrating your hard-earned adaptations. Emerging research establishes that Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) are not merely toxins but essential "mitohormetic" signals that trigger mitochondrial biogenesis (via PGC-1$\alpha$) and strength gains (via p70S6K); high-dose antioxidants like Vitamin C (1000 mg) and E indiscriminately mute these signals, effectively blocking insulin sensitivity improvements and slashing endurance gains by up to 160% in animal models. The rigorous physiological data from Ristow and Gomez-Cabrera dictates a "Food First" protocol to modulate rather than silence stress, requiring athletes to strictly avoid antioxidant supplementation in the 2–4 hour window pre- and post-training. While structural hypertrophy may persist despite blunted signaling, functional strength and aerobic efficiency are compromised, meaning elite performance requires periodization—"Train Low" to maximize adaptation during base phases and "Compete High" only during multi-day stage races or altitude camps where survival outweighs growth.Keywords: antioxidant trap, mitohormesis, reactive oxygen species, pgc-1α, vitamin c, hypertrophy, insulin sensitivity, periodization, food first, nrf2🎙️ Lactate, the podcast that deciphers science to improve your performance.Key references :Ristow, M., et al. (2009). Antioxidants prevent health-promoting effects of physical exercise in humans. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(21), 8665-8670. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0903485106Gomez-Cabrera, M. C., et al. (2008). Oral administration of vitamin C decreases muscle mitochondrial biogenesis and hampers training-induced adaptations in endurance performance. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 87(1), 142-149. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18175748/Paulsen, G., et al. (2014). Vitamin C and E supplementation alters protein signalling after a strength training session, but not muscle growth during 10 weeks of training. The Journal of Physiology, 592(24), 5391-5408. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25384788/Klein, E. A., et al. (2011). Vitamin E and the risk of prostate cancer: the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT). JAMA. https://ascopost.com/issues/april-15-2012/select-trial-update-vitamin-e-fails-to-prevent-prostate-cancer-in-healthy-men/Jeukendrup, A. E. (2017). Periodized Nutrition for Athletes. Sports Medicine, 47(Suppl 1), 51–63. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5371625/Voices generated by artificial intelligence from the scientific report produced by the Lactate team.