The Study
Vitamin supplementation and resistance exercise‐induced muscle hypertrophy: shifting the redox balance scale?
This article isn't a real experiment—it's more like a smart person writing a letter saying, 'Hey, here's what other studies found, and here's what I think might be going on.' But they didn't do any tests themselves, so we can't say for sure if their ideas are right.
Analysis score
Maximum 0 for a editorial/opinion.
Where the score came from
People took big vitamin C and E pills while lifting weights for 10 weeks. Their muscles got just as big and strong as those who didn’t take pills, but their muscles couldn’t push or pull as hard for their size.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 50 / 100
Quality score
Based on clinical experience or non-systematic literature reviews. The lowest level of evidence as they are most susceptible to bias and personal perspective.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Even if your muscles look bigger and you can lift the same heavy weight, your muscles might not work as efficiently — like a big engine that doesn’t accelerate as well.
- 2Muscle size and max strength didn't change with vitamins.
- 3But muscle strength per unit of size dropped.
- 4Protein breakdown signals went down, but protein building stayed the same.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
The Journal of Physiology
Year
2015
Authors
C. Wolff, R. Musci, Miles Whedbee
Related Content
Claims (6)
Taking high doses of vitamin C and E supplements reduces the body's physiological adaptations to exercise by blocking the signaling triggered by oxidative stress.
Taking vitamin C and E supplements while doing 10 weeks of resistance training does not change how much muscle size or strength increases in healthy young adults.
Taking antioxidant supplements while doing resistance training is linked to lower activity of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway in skeletal muscle, but this change does not lead to measurable differences in muscle mass gain.
Taking antioxidant supplements after weight training reduces a specific molecular signal in muscle cells called p70S6K phosphorylation, but this change does not lead to any difference in muscle growth or protein building.
Taking vitamin C and E supplements while doing resistance training is linked to lower muscle force per unit of muscle tissue, even when muscle size and maximum strength remain unchanged.
Taking antioxidant supplements while doing resistance training does not change the rate at which muscles build protein, even though signaling pathways involved in muscle growth are temporarily affected.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.