Branched-chain amino acids, arginine, citrulline alleviate central fatigue after 3 simulated matches in taekwondo athletes: a randomized controlled trial

Table 2 Plasma biochemical parameters and ratings of perceived exertions in the AA and PL trials

	Trial^a	Baseline	post-M1	post-M2	pre-M2	post-M3
Urea (mM)¹	AA	4.61 ± 1.72	8.20 ± 3.65	12.70 ± 4.50*	13.25 ± 4.10*	17.56 ± 5.30*
Urea (mM)¹	PL	4.55 ± 1.90	7.36 ± 2.30	12.95 ± 5.00*	9.07 ± 4.00	16.92 ± 5.10*
Lactate (mM)²	AA	2.95 ± 0.77	13.38 ± 4.17*	12.78 ± 3.77	2.22 ± 0.53	11.93 ± 2.90
Lactate (mM)²	PL	3.19 ± 0.75	13.37 ± 2.96*	12.24 ± 3.45	2.36 ± 0.55	12.57 ± 2.27
Glucose (mM)³	AA	5.26 ± 0.28	4.39 ± 0.44*	4.97 ± 0.50	5.37 ± 0.39	5.12 ± 0.50
Glucose (mM)³	PL	5.25 ± 0.44	4.20 ± 0.27*	4.89 ± 0.39	5.36 ± 0.22	5.28 ± 0.39
Glycerol (μM)⁴	AA	27.75 ± 10.37	49.38 ± 22.00	76.48 ± 27.14*	79.81 ± 24.91*	105.78 ± 31.76*
Glycerol (μM)⁴	PL	27.42 ± 11.39	44.34 ± 13.96	78.00 ± 30.22*	54.65 ± 24.31	101.91 ± 30.93*
NEFA (mM)^b,5	AA	0.33 ± 0.17	0.21 ± 0.08	0.34 ± 0.15	0.38 ± 0.12	0.47 ± 0.20
NEFA (mM)^b,5	PL	0.36 ± 0.16	0.21 ± 0.06	0.38 ± 0.10	0.58 ± 0.24	0.55 ± 0.19
RPE^c,6	AA	9.3 ± 2.0	16.0 ± 2.0*	15.9 ± 2.0*	-	15.2 ± 3.0*
RPE^c,6	PL	9.3 ± 2.0	12.8 ± 2.0*	13.6 ± 2.0*	-	14.6 ± 2.0*

^a AA BCAA, arginine, and citruline, PL placebo. ^b NEFA non-esterified fatty acid. ^c RPE ratings of perceived exertion. *Significantly different from baseline in the same trial (p < .05)
¹Main effects: trial: p = .329; time: p < .001; interaction: p = .167
²Main effects: trial: p = .325; time: p < .001; interaction: p = .165
³Main effects: trial: p = .816; time: p < .001; interaction: p = .520
⁴Main effects: trial: p = .325; time: p < .001; interaction: p = .165
⁵Main effects: trial: p = .117; time: p < .001; interaction: p = .213
⁶Main effects: trial: p = .886; time: p = .003; interaction: p = .718

ISSN: 1550-2783