Healthy Active Athletes
Conditions
Keywords
molecular hydrogen, functional overreaching, tapering, heart rate variability, basketball
Brief summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate whether hydrogen-rich water supplementation during tapering improves recovery after functional overreaching in competitive male basketball players aged 18-35 years. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does hydrogen-rich water improve autonomic recovery after functional overreaching? * Does hydrogen-rich water improve recovery in biochemical, performance, and subjective feeling outcomes during tapering? Researchers will compare hydrogen-rich water to placebo (water containing no molecular hydrogen) to determine whether molecular hydrogen improves recovery after accumulated fatigue has been induced by functional overreaching. Participants will: * Complete a training cycle including normal training, functional overreaching, and tapering. * Consume hydrogen-rich or placebo water daily during the one-week tapering period. * Undergo repeated testing of autonomic nervous system, blood biochemical markers, performance, and subjective soreness.
Detailed description
The study consists of an initial screening and entry testing phase, followed by one week of normal training, two weeks of functional overreaching, and one week of tapering. During the functional overreaching period, training load is increased to approximately 120-130% of normal training load to induce accumulated fatigue. During the tapering period, training volume is reduced to approximately 50-60% of normal training volume to support recovery and performance rebound. The molecular hydrogen is administered only during the tapering period. Participants in the experimental group consume 2.5 L per day of hydrogen-rich water. The total daily dose is divided into 0.5 L in the morning, 1.5 L around training, and 0.5 L in the evening. Participants in the placebo group consume visually matched placebo water according to the same total daily intake and timing schedule. Supplementation adherence is monitored using logs, dose counts, and attendance records. Participants are randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either the experimental group or the placebo group. Randomization is performed using a block scheme and a computer random number generator. Testing is performed at multiple time points: entry laboratory testing, baseline after normal training, post-functional overreaching, and post-taper. The primary interval for evaluation is the change from post-functional overreaching to post-taper. Statistical analysis is based on a t-test or analysis of variance. Data that not follow a normal distribution are treated using a logarithmic transformation or analyzed using nonparametric tests. The significance level is set at 0.05.
Interventions
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTHydrogen-rich water
Hydrogen-rich water with molecular hydrogen concentration \>1.0 ppm.
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTPlacebo water
Tap water without molecular hydrogen.
Sponsors
Palacky University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Investigator)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
MALE
Age
18 Years to 35 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Competitive male basketball players. * Signed informed consent. * Completion of entry medical and laboratory screening.
Exclusion criteria
* Acute injury or infection. * History or presence of relevant cardiovascular, respiratory, metabolic, or other disease that may affect the study results. * Use of medication affecting recovery markers or study results.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| RMSSD | One-week change between post-overreaching and post-taper. | The root mean square of successive differences of RR intervals (RMSSD) is used as an index of parasympathetic activity and is calculated from an ECG using heart rate variability analysis. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Creatine kinase | One-week change between post-overreaching and post-taper. | Blood creatine kinase concentration is used as a marker of muscle damage. |
| High-sensitivity C-reactive protein | One-week change between post-overreaching and post-taper. | High-sensitivity C-reactive protein concentration is used as a marker of systemic inflammatory. |
| Cortisol | One-week change between post-overreaching and post-taper. | Blood cortisol concentration is used as a marker of physiological stress response. |
| Testosterone | One-week change between post-overreaching and post-taper. | Blood testosterone concentration is used as a marker related to anabolic-catabolic balance. |
| Urea | One-week change between post-overreaching and post-taper. | Blood urea concentration is used as a marker related to metabolic and protein-turnover stress. |
| Leukocytes | One-week change between post-overreaching and post-taper. | Blood leukocyte count is used as a marker of immune-related response to training. |
| Lymphocytes | One-week change between post-overreaching and post-taper. | Blood lymphocyte count is used as a marker of immune-related response to training. |
| Neutrophils | One-week change between post-overreaching and post-taper. | Blood lymphocyte count is used as a marker of imflammatory response to training. |
| Reactive strength index | One-week change between post-overreaching and post-taper. | Reactive strength index is used as an marker of neuromuscular function of the lower limbs and is measured using a drop jump. |
| Hangrip test | One-week change between post-overreaching and post-taper. | Handgrip test is used as a marker of forearm muscle strength and is measured using a dynamometer. |
| 20-m sprint | One-week change between post-overreaching and post-taper. | 20-m sprint test is used to assess linear speed. |
| Repeated sprint | One-week change between post-overreaching and post-taper. | 20 x 15 m repeated sprint test is used to asses repeated sprint ability. |
| Agility T-test | One-week change between post-overreaching and post-taper. | Agility T-test is used to assess planned change-of-direction performance. |
| Basketball jump shot accuracy test | One-week change between post-overreaching and post-taper. | Basketball jump shot accuracy test is used to assess basketball-specific performance. |
| Muscle soreness | One-week change between post-overreaching and post-taper. | Muscle soreness is assessed subjectively using a visual analog scale, which is represented by a 100 mm line marked 0 (no pain) and 100 (worst imaginable pain). |
Countries
Czechia
Contacts
CONTACTJan Kvas
CONTACTJakub Krejci, PhD
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORJan Kvas
Palacky University
Outcome results
None listed