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Background: Skin is constantly exposed to pro-oxidant environmental stress from several sources, including air pollutants, ultraviolet solar light, and chemical oxidants. Reactive oxygen species have been implicated in age-related skin disorders. Dietary bioactive antioxidant compounds, such as polyphenols, have beneficial effects on skin health. The advantage of a nutritional administration route is that blood delivers nutraceutical bioactive compounds continuously to all skin compartments, ie, the epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous fat. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the topical and systemic effects of a dietary supplement containing resveratrol and procyanidin on age-related alterations to the skin, the skin antioxidant pool, and systemic oxidative stress levels. Methods: An instrumental study was performed in 50 subjects (25 treated with supplements and 25 with placebo) to identify clinical features induced by chronoaging or photoaging. Product efficacy was evaluated after 60 days of treatment in terms of in vivo and in situ skin hydration, elasticity, and skin roughness levels, systemic oxidative stress levels by plasmatic derivatives of reactive oxygen metabolites and oxyadsorbent tests, and extent of the skin antioxidant pool. Results: After 60 days of treatment, values for systemic oxidative stress, plasmatic antioxidant capacity, and skin antioxidant power had increased significantly. Additionally, skin moisturization and elasticity had improved, while skin roughness and depth of wrinkles had diminished. Intensity of age spots had significantly decreased, as evidenced by improvement in the individual typological angle. Conclusion: Nutraceutical and pharmacological intervention with a supplement characterized by a specific blend of resveratrol and procyanidin may be a promising strategy to support treatments for the reduction of skin wrinkling, as well as reducing systemic and skin oxidative stress. Keywords: antiaging, nutraceuticals, procyanidin, resveratrol supplementation, skin

In the sport life, a vitamin D deficit is often related to muscular problems, neuromuscular pains, predisposition to injuries, and can affect one's performance. Since indoor athletes have reduced exposition to sun rays, they are more likely to be subjected to these risks than outdoor athletes.

Meeting abstracts - A single PDF containing all abstracts in this supplement is available at http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/files/pdf/1550-2783-8-S1-full.pdf.EMPTY Oxidative stress, a condition defined as unbalancing between production of free radicals and antioxidant defenses, is an important index of health status to monitor wellness and sport performance.

Amifostine (WR-2721), a phosphorylated aminothiol pro-drug which is an analogue of cysteamine, is a selective cytoprotective agent for normal tissues from the toxicities associated with chemotherapy and irradiation. Despite a growing number of reports strongly supporting amifostine's clinical efficacy, few authors have focused on the biochemical basis of amifostine's antioxidant activity. We report on amifostine's free-radical scavenging activity against superoxide (O(2;(-))), hydroxyl (OH(-)) and lipoperoxyl radicals in an in vitro model, using pure chemical systems. Amifostine was dephosphorylated to its active metabolite, WR-1065, by adding 10% non-heat-inactivated serum; different amifostine concentrations (1, 10, 50, 100 microM and 200 microM) and pH conditions (pH 5, 7.4 and 9) were tested. Independent of the concentration, amifostine exhibited no major activity against O(2;(-)) ions, neither did any pH variations in the experimental model provide any scavenger effects of the drug against O(2;(-)) radicals. On the other hand, the protective effect of amifostine against OH(-) radicals was confirmed, yielding an EC(50) of 255 microM at pH 7.4 and 230 microM at pH 5. Finally, amifostine exhibited scavenging activity against spontaneous lipoperoxidation, but no apparent antioxidant effect on iron ascorbate-induced lipoperoxidation. With this in vitro study, we are able to confirm the scavenging activity of the chemo- and radioprotector amifostine, whose activity seems to be particularly important from a biological point of view, since it is exerted mainly against highly reactive OH(-).

Alteration of the ubiquitous thiol tripeptide glutathione (GSH) is involved in oxidative stress, which plays a role in ageing; consequently, GSH is closely related to this process characterized by progressive decline in the efficiency of physiological function and increased susceptibility to disease. When circulating GSH decreases, oral administration might be considered a therapeutic benefit. Unfortunately, due to the hydrolysis of the tripeptide by intestinal γ -glutamyltransferase, dietary glutathione is not a major determinant for its increase. Aim of this work was to evaluate improvement of GSH systemic availability testing, in vitro and in vivo, an optimized orobuccal fast-slow release formulation tablet containing pure stabilized GSH. In vitro evaluation of the penetration capability of the innovative GSH-release formulation showed that GSH was well absorbed by the reconstructed oral epithelium and its absorption has features of time-dependence. In addition, in vivo results, obtained from 15 healthy volunteers, were in favor of GSH level improvement in blood showing fast (after 30 and 60 minutes) absorption through oral mucosa. In conclusion, the intake of GSH formulated through optimized orobuccal fast-slow release tablets gave positive results in raising GSH blood concentration.

Beef is a nutrient-rich, high-quality protein containing all the essential amino acids in proportions similar to those found in human skeletal muscle. In order to investigate the efficacy of a beef supplementation strategy on strength and body composition, we recruited 26 young healthy adults to participate in a resistance-training program of eight weeks, based on the use of isotonic machines and free weights at 75% of one repetition maximum. Subjects were randomly divided into two groups, food group and control group, of 12 and 14 subjects respectively. Food group were supplemented after resistance training with a 135 g serving of lean beef (tinned meat), providing 20 g of protein and 1.7 g of fat. No supplementation was provided to control group. Fat mass, fat free mass, lean mass, assessed by bioelectrical impedance analyzer, and muscle strength, assessed by one repetition maximum test, were evaluated in all subjects both at the beginning (week 0) and at the end (week 8) of the study. Pre- and post-training differences were evaluated with paired t-tests while group differences for each outcome parameter was evaluated with independent t-tests. At the end of the study the food group showed a significantly decrease in fat mass (week 0: 15.0 ± 6.7 kg; week 8: 13.1 ± 7.6 kg; Δ: −1.9 ± 2.9 kg; p < 0.05) and a significantly increase in fat free mass (week 0: 52.8 kg ± 9.4; week 8: 55.1 kg ± 10.9; Δ: 2.3 ± 2.5 kg; p < 0.01). No significant differences in lean mass were found in either food group or control group. No significant differences in one repetition maximum tests were found between food group and control group. Tinned meat can be considered a nutrition strategy in addition to other proteins or amino acid supplements, but as with any other supplementation strategy, a proper nutrition plan must be coupled.

The main reasons for taking daily dietary supplements are to maintain good health, to improve homeostasis, and to create conditions for reducing the risk of disease. Due to growing market demand, the search for effective, nontoxic, natural compounds with antioxidant and ergogenic properties has increasingly become a matter of interest. This paper describes how a specific combination of fungal supplements can help improve the performance of endurance athletes. We report the effects of a brief 3-month trial of two fungal supplements, Ganoderma lucidum and Cordyceps sinensis (3 capsules of O. sinensis and 2 capsules of G. lucidum per day), in 7 healthy male volunteers, aged between 30 and 40 years, who are all amateur cyclists that participate in “Gran Fondo” cycling races. This trial investigated the effects of fungal supplements on the level of physical fitness of the athletes by monitoring and comparing the following biomarkers just before and after physical exertion: the testosterone/cortisol ratio in the saliva and oxidative stress (DPPH free radical scavenging activity). A decrease of more than 30% in the testosterone/cortisol ratio after race compared to before race was considered as a risk factor for nonfunctional overreaching (NFO) or the overtraining syndrome (OTS). The results show that, after 3 months of supplementation, the testosterone/cortisol ratio changed in a statistically significant manner, thereby protecting the athletes from NFO and OTS. Antioxidant activity was measured by quantifying the scavenging ability of the human serum on the synthetic free radical DPPH. After 3 months of fungal supplementation, the data demonstrate an increased scavenger capacity of free radicals in the athletes’ serum after the race, thereby protecting the athletes from oxidative stress.

Skin is constantly exposed to pro-oxidant environmental stress from several sources, including air pollutants, ultraviolet solar light, and chemical oxidants. Reactive oxygen species have been implicated in age-related skin disorders. Dietary bioactive antioxidant compounds, such as polyphenols, have beneficial effects on skin health. The advantage of a nutritional administration route is that blood delivers nutraceutical bioactive compounds continuously to all skin compartments, ie, the epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous fat. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the topical and systemic effects of a dietary supplement containing resveratrol and procyanidin on age-related alterations to the skin, the skin antioxidant pool, and systemic oxidative stress levels. An instrumental study was performed in 50 subjects (25 treated with supplements and 25 with placebo) to identify clinical features induced by chronoaging or photoaging. Product efficacy was evaluated after 60 days of treatment in terms of in vivo and in situ skin hydration, elasticity, and skin roughness levels, systemic oxidative stress levels by plasmatic derivatives of reactive oxygen metabolites and oxyadsorbent tests, and extent of the skin antioxidant pool. After 60 days of treatment, values for systemic oxidative stress, plasmatic antioxidant capacity, and skin antioxidant power had increased significantly. Additionally, skin moisturization and elasticity had improved, while skin roughness and depth of wrinkles had diminished. Intensity of age spots had significantly decreased, as evidenced by improvement in the individual typological angle. Nutraceutical and pharmacological intervention with a supplement characterized by a specific blend of resveratrol and procyanidin may be a promising strategy to support treatments for the reduction of skin wrinkling, as well as reducing systemic and skin oxidative stress.

Introduction Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is the most common cause of hair loss among males, characterized by progressive thinning of the scalp hairs and defined by various patterns. The main factors underling hair loss in AGA are genetic predisposition and increased sensitivity of the hair follicles to androgens, leading to a shortening of the anagen phase. In the present study, the authors investigated the efficacy of a commercially available cosmetic lotion, Crescina ® HFSC (human follicle stem cell; Labo Cosprophar AG, Basel, Switzerland), in promoting hair growth and in decreasing hair loss. Methods A placebo-controlled, randomized trial was carried out on healthy males suffering from alopecia grade II to IV. Anagen rate and hair resistance to traction (pull test) were assessed after 2 and 4 months of treatment using phototricogram and pull test technique. Results Crescina ® HFSC applied for 4 months was effective in promoting hair growth and in decreasing hair loss. After 2 and 4 months of treatment, the anagen rate was increased by 6.8% and 10.7%, respectively. Hair resistance to traction was decreased by 29.6% and 46.8%, respectively. Conclusions The present study demonstrated the positive effect of Crescina ® HFSC in modulating the activity of the hair follicle and promoting hair growth.