Abstract
Adolescent physical performance is not only dependent on exercise but also on the role of antioxidants obtained through a healthy diet. However, few studies have specifically identified the relationship between carotenoids, a common antioxidant, and physical performance. This crosssectional study aims to investigate the association between the level of carotenoids in the blood and physical performance among Korean adolescents aged 13 to 18 years. The study sample consisted of 450 participants (190 males, 260 females) from the 2018 National Fitness Award project. In boys, multiple regression analysis after adjustment for age, body mass index (BMI), smoking, drinking, and physical activity revealed that the α-carotene level was positively associated with a 20-m progressive aerobic cardiovascular endurance run (PACER) (β = 5.350, p < 0.05) and estimated maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) (β = 1.049, p < 0.05). In girls, after adjustment for age, BMI, smoking, drinking, and physical activity, the levels of α-carotene were positively associated with a 20-m PACER (β = 3.290, p < 0.05), VO2max (β = 0.644, p < 0.05) and curl-up (β = 5.782, p < 0.05), and β-carotene (β = 2.983, p < 0.05) and total carotenoids (β = 4.248, p < 0.05) were positively associated with curl-up. Our results suggest that an increased level of carotenoids in the blood may be associated with better physical performance among adolescents in Korea.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 1821 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1-11 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Nutrients |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 2020 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Funding: This study was supported by the Bio and Medical Technology Development Program of the National Research Foundation (NRF), funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT (2012M3A9C4048761); and by RP-Grant 2019 of Ewha Womans University. The funders had no role in the study design, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, writing of the paper, or the decision to submit the paper for publication.
Funding Information:
This cross-sectional study was performed based on the National Fitness Award project 2018 for adolescents in South Korea. The National Fitness Award project is a large-scale national project currently managed by 21 centers [20]. The Korea Institute of Sports Science has been conducting this project for youth, adults, and seniors since 2012 with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism to promote health by exercise, physical, and sporting activities in daily life. Among a total of 559 adolescents aged 13–18 years, we excluded participants who (1) had no analysis on carotenoid levels by drawing blood (n = 57); (2) were missing data on covariates (n = 30); and (3) had no data on their physical performance (n = 22), such as handgrip strength, a 20-m progressive aerobic cardiovascular endurance run (PACER), estimated maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max), curl-up, and sit-and-reach. Finally, the study sample included a total of 450 participants (190 men and 260 women) aged 13–18 years. This study received approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the Korea Institute of Sport Science, and Ewha Womans University. All individuals provided informed consent before enrollment.
Funding Information:
This study was supported by the Bio and Medical Technology Development Program of the National Research Foundation (NRF), funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT (2012M3A9C4048761); and by RP-Grant 2019 of Ewha Womans University. The funders had no role in the study design, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, writing of the paper, or the decision to submit the paper for publication.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 by the authors.
Keywords
- Blood carotenoids
- Korean adolescents
- Physical performance