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This investigation determined the efficacy of black currant nectar (BCN) in reducing symptoms of exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD). Sixteen college students were randomly assigned to drink either 16 oz of BCN or a placebo (PLA) twice a day for eight consecutive days. A bout of eccentric knee extensions (3 × 10 sets @ 115% of 1RM) was performed on the fourth day. Outcome measures included muscle soreness (subjective scale from 0 to 10) and blood markers of muscle damage (creatine kinase, CK), inflammation (interleukin-6, IL-6), and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC). Although there were no differences in reported soreness between groups, consumption of BCN reduced CK levels at both 48 (PLA = 82.13% vs. BCN = -6.71%, p = .042) and 96 h post exercise (PLA = 74.96% vs. BCN = -12.11%, p = .030). The change in IL-6 was higher in the PLA group (PLA = 8.84% vs. BCN = -6.54%, p = .023) at 24 h post exercise. The change in ORAC levels was higher in the treatment group (BCN = 2.68% vs. PLA = -6.02%, p = .039) at 48 h post exercise. Our results demonstrate that consumption of BCN prior to and after a bout of eccentric exercise attenuates muscle damage and inflammation.

Objective: To estimate the concurrent validity of a new isometric strength-testing device, the Leg Press Sled (LPS), using a criterion measure of isokinetic strength among a frail elderly populatio...

The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of body weight on blood lipid profile, insulin resistance and inflammatory biomarkers in Mexican-American children.Children (13.3+/-0.1 year) were recruited from a local school and assigned to one of three groups as a volunteer sample: healthy weight (HW) (or =10th and85th BMI percentile; n=42), at risk of overweight (RO) (or =85th and95th; n =25) or overweight (OW) (or =95th; n=42). Plasma concentrations of hsCRP, sCD14, sIL-6R, sTNF-alphaR1, sTNF-alphaR2, IL-6 and TNF-alpha were determined by ELISA.OW children had significantly greater plasma concentrations of hsCRP (P =0.003), sCD14 (P =0.013), sIL-6R (P =0.010), sTNF-alphaR1 (P0.001), sTNF-alphaR2 (P=0.005), insulin (P=0.001), TC:HDL ratio (P0.001) and triglycerides (P0.001) than HW children. Also plasma concentrations of hsCRP, sIL-6R and sTNF-alphaR1 were significantly greater in OW compared with RO children.Overweight Mexican-American children had a higher concentration of inflammatory biomarkers than healthy weight children. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report that sCD14 is elevated in overweight compared with healthy weight Mexican-American children.