EFFECTS OF THIAMINE SUPPLEMENTATION ON EXERCISE-INDUCED FATIGUE

High-dose thiamine (vitamin B-1) supplementation (100 mg/day) may be h elpful in preventing or accelerating recovery from exercise-induced fa tigue. Sixteen volunteer male athletes volunteer 8 with a blood thiami ne level of 40 ng/ml or more (normal thiamine group) and 8 with levels below that level (low thiamine group) were selected as subjects. They exercised on a bicycle ergometer and the effects of thiamine suppleme ntation were compared with placebo. Blood thiamine level markedly incr eased following supplementation of thiamine for 3 days before exercise . Exercise-induced changes in hemodynamic parameters and cardiopulmona ry function indicated the onset of fatigue. Thiamine supplementation s ignificantly suppressed the increase in blood glucose in the normal th iamine group and significantly decreased the number of complaints shor tly after exercise in the subjective fatigue assessment of 30 items.