Abstract

The aim of our work was to establish the effect of the multicomponent natural food supplement Spirulina on the indices of immunity, general blood picture, physical development, efficiency and functional capacity in sportsmen. The study cohort comprised 24 endurance-training athletes (12 in the experimental group and 12 in the control group) Members of the experimental group for 14 days took Spirulina, a natural food supplement produced by the Chinese firm Tianshi. The study subjects were examined before Spirulina administration (I), immediately after its administration (II) and two weeks following its taking (III). The immune system examination included a flow-cytometric investigation of lymphocyte subtype indices. The functional response of lymphocytes to a stimulus was studied in vitro by the morphological method of lymphocyte blast-transformation. In the first study (I), the percentage of certain lymphocyte subtypes (T lymphocytes, T helpers/inductors) characteristic of a specific immune response did not reach the lower limits of the age-related norm. The use of Spirulina showed a beneficial effect on the quantitative indices of immune system. (The content of T helpers/inductors became normalized sooner, after 14 days of Spirulina intake and T cytotoxic/suppressive lymphocytes later, two weeks following the interruption of Spirulina intake). A statistically significant increase of red corpuscle distribution area in the blood (RDW) over the study period showed a good regenerative response in iron assimilation. The mean concentration of haemoglobin in erythrocytes (MCHC) is related to the tendency of the average decrease of erythrocyte volume. In the course of the study, the athletes’ physical development indices underwent no statistically significant changes. Greatest changes were shown by the muscular strength of both hands (of the right on average from 45.0kg to 48.4kg and of the left from 40.6kg to 45.8kg). Members of the experimental group showed a statistically significant increase in single muscular contraction power (on average from 2.34 kgm/s/kg to 2.91 kgm/s/kg) and the anaerobic glycolytic capacity (from 428.8W to 445.3W). Spirulina intake improved the functional capacity indices of the athletes’ circulatory and respiratory systems. The positive changes were most pronounced immediately following the Spirulina intake; the indices remained higher also two weeks following Spirulina interruption as compared to the level before Spirulina intake. Investigation by using a questionnaire showed that Spirulina intake had no negative effect on the athletes’ body, and after 5 days of intake positive changes became manifested: fatigue after physical loads decreased, the processes of recovery after physical loads were accelerated, endurance while performing strength exercises improved. Verf.-Referat