The Effect of Oral Vanadyl Sulfate on Body Composition and Performance in Weight-Training Athletes

The effects of oral vanadyl sulfate (VOSO4) (0.5 mg/kg/day) on anthropometry, body composition, and performance were investigated in a 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving weight-training volunteers. Performance was assessed in the treatment (VS) and placebo (P) groups using 1 and 10 repetitions maximum (RM) for the bench press and leg extension. Thirty-one subjects completed the trial, with 2 VS subjects withdrawing because of apparent side effects. There were no significant treatment effects for anthropometric parameters and body composition during the trial. Both groups had significant improvements in performance but the only significant effect of treatment was a Treatment x Time interaction in the 1 RM leg extension (p = .002), which could have arisen because the VS group had a lower performance at baseline in this test. It was concluded that oral vanadyl sulfate was ineffective in changing body composition in weight-training athletes, and any modest performance-enhancing effect requires further investigation.