Effects of extra-virgin olive oil enriched with E-vitamin and Q10-coenzyme on the heart rate variability and plasma antioxidant status in athletes

OBJECTIVES: To examine whether the assumption of extra virgin olive oil enriched with E-vitamin and Q10-coenzyme may improve the plasma anti-oxidant/pro-oxidant balance and be associated with favorable changes in heart rate variability (HRV). METHODS: Four male athletes, mean age 22 (range 21-24), were recruited. They assumed 20 ml per day of the integrator (20 mg Q10 and 15 mg Vit E) for one month. The plasma antioxidant capacity (AC) was evaluated by the crocin bleaching assay. The frequency-domain analysis of HRV was carried out using Cardioline Cube recorder and specific software to obtain, from an autoregressive power spectrum approach, the power in normalized units (nu) of the low-(LF) and high-frequency (HF) bands and LF/HF ratio. HRV was recorded between 8.00 and 13.00, after a 5-min rest, for 10-15 min with the subject seated. We used for the HRV calculation short-term (5 min) interval between the 3rd-8th min of the recording. Data, shown as mean values ± standard error of the mean, was collected before the integration, then after one month since the assumption and finally after one month since the wash-out. RESULTS: An increase of the AC was observed after supplementation (from 582.7+121 to 890.2+253). Furthermore, a reduction in the LF/HF (from 9,1±6 to 3.6±2) and in LFnu (from 72,1±9 to 63,7±8) have been observed and there was also an increase in the HFnu (from 19,9±7 to 25,1±6). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the extra-virgin olive oil enriched with E-vitamin and Q10-coenzyme increased the AC and induced favorable changes in cardiac autonomic function. These results are preliminary observations that need to be confirmed.