EFFECT OF GLUTAMINE SUPPLEMENTATION ON TH1/TH2 BALANCE DURING EXERCISE IN HYPOXIA
A V. Caris Ann Nutr Metab 2013;63(suppl 1):684
Several studies conducted in normoxia have suggested that glutamine supplementation attenuate the immunosuppressive effects of strenuous exercise, however little is known about the importance of glutamine during exercise in hypoxia. This study aims to evaluate the effects
of glutamine supplementation on Th1/Th2 balance during exercise in hypoxia.
Methods: Five physically active male volunteers underwent three sessions of exercise at 70% VO2 peak until exhaustion:
(1) no supplementation in normoxia, (2) in hypoxia no supplementation (placebo) and (3) after 6 days of glutamine supplementation (20 g/day) in hypoxia. All procedures were randomised and double blind. The hypoxia simulated an altitude of 4500 m. Before and after the exercise, blood was collected, and the lymphocytes (1x105cel) were incubated in 96-well plates containing RPMI 1640 supplemented with 2 mM glutamine,
10% homologous serum and 5µg/ml Concanavalin A. After 48h, the supernatant was collected to measure the IL-2, IL-4
and IL-6 levels using kits from R & D Systems. Statistical analysis was performed by Two-way ANOVA post Tukey test p<5%.
Results: Exercising in hypoxia decreased the performance (p < 0.05) and the hemoglobin oxygen saturation(SaO2) (p <
0.05) in relation to normoxia. Furthermore, no difference in cytokine levels were found relative to exercise in normoxia.
However, for exercise with supplementation, there was a decrease in the IL-4 level (p < 0.05) and increase in the IL-6 level
(p < 0.05), in relation to normoxia and hypoxia condition.
Conclusions: Glutamine supplementation appeared to influence the Th1/Th2 balance, attenuating the Th2 response
after exercise in hypoxia. However, the supplementation was not sufficient to reverse the decline in performance caused by
hypoxia.
