Abstract
Intakes and plasma concentrations of antioxidant vitamins in 12 male speed skaters of high school in the off-and in-seasons together with 12 untrained age-matched students were evaluated by comparing with the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for young individuals (15〜17 yr old). Mean intakes of vitamin C (C) by speed skaters (115 mg/day in off-season, 144 mg/day in inseason) and untrained (105 mg/day) were higher than that of RDA level (90 mg/day). Speed skaters had significantly lower C levels in off-season (860 μg/dl) than that of untrained (1110 μg/dl). However, they had higher levels of plasma C (1220 μg/dl) in in-season than in off-season. Although mean intakes of vitamin E (E) by speed skaters in off-season (7 mg/day) and untrained (9 mg/day) were lower than that of RDA (10 mg/day), these subjects had normal levels of plasma E (10.1 μg/ml in speed skaters, 9.4 μg/ml in untraiend; α-tocopherol). In in-season, E intake by speed skaters (12 mg/day) increased above RDA level, whereas plasma E concentration (10.1 μg/ml) maintained at the level in off-season. Mean intakes of vitamin A (A) by both speed skaters and untrained were higher than that of RDA level. All subjects had adequate levels of plasma retinol concentration (0.52〜0.55 μg/ml), whereas speed skaters had remarkably lower levels of plasma β-carotene (0.15 ± 0.07 μg/ml in off-season, 0.10 ± 0.04 μg/ml in in-season) than untrained students (0.52 ± 0.19 μg/ml). These results suggest the possibility that vigorously trained young athletes should take higher levels of antioxidant vitamins C, E and A than respective RDAs for maintaining adequate blood levels of the vitamins.
