Key result
Daily oral N-acetyl cysteine attenuates FMD decline after high-intensity resistance exercise versus placebo.
Why the study?
High-intensity resistance exercise can temporarily induce vascular dysfunction via pro-oxidant pathways, and the potential protective effect of antioxidant N-acetyl cysteine on post-exercise vascular function required evaluation.
Does daily oral administration of N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) prevent vascular dysfunction after high-intensity resistance exercise in healthy male volunteers?
RCT (n=10)
Placebo-controlled
Crossover
Does daily oral administration of N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) prevent vascular dysfunction after high-intensity resistance exercise in healthy male volunteers?
N-acetyl cysteine attenuates endothelial dysfunction induced by acute eccentric exercise in healthy young men, suggesting a role for oxidative stress in exercise-induced vascular changes.
NAC attenuates post-exercise FMD decline in healthy men; extends evidence for oxidative stress in resistance exercise vascular effects.
OBJECTIVE: High-intensity resistance exercise may temporarily induce vascular dysfunction mediated by pro-oxidant and pro-inflammatory pathways. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the possible protective effect of the antioxidant N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) on vascular function after a bout of high-intensity resistance exercise. METHODS: In this randomized, crossover, placebo-controlled study, ten healthy male volunteers (mean age 24.2 ± 2.1 years) who exercised regularly were randomly allocated to a daily oral administration of NAC or placebo during an 8-day recovery after an acute intense eccentric exercise protocol. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) and flow-mediated dilation (FMD) measurements were performed pre- and post-exercise in both study arms. RESULTS: Muscle exercise induced a significant decrease in FMD in the placebo arm (p = 0.017) during the first 48 h after exercise, recovering thereafter. In contrast, in the NAC arm, FMD did not decrease significantly. By linear mixed-model analysis, a higher increase in CD4 cells levels correlated with preserved FMD (p = 0.046) only in the placebo arm (p = 0.811 in the NAC arm). PWV did not present significant fluctuations before and after exercise in either arm (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: A bout of eccentric exercise induced endothelial dysfunction, which was attenuated by NAC, indicating that oxidative stress may be implicated in vivo in this setting.
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Mavraganis et al. (2025) conducted an RCT in Healthy volunteers (n=10). N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) vs. Placebo was evaluated on Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and pulse wave velocity (PWV). Daily oral N-acetyl cysteine attenuated the significant decrease in flow-mediated dilation observed in the placebo arm (p=0.017) following high-intensity resistance exercise.
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