Oregano Supplementation Reduces Muscle Damage and Oxidative Stress in Male Soldiers

by | Mar 3, 2023 | 2022, Antioxidants, Botanicals

Written by Taylor Woosley, Staff Writer. 500 mg oregano supplementation in healthy male soldiers immediately after completing the army combat readiness test showed a significant time x group interactions for SOD (p < 0.0001), TAC (p < 0.0001) and GPX (p < 0.0001) compared to placebo. 

military saluteThe physical and tactical training of the military is to adequately prepare military personnel for the physical and psychological demands of their mission, and they must possess enough muscular strength, power, and endurance capabilities to be successful1. Previous research has shown that when oxidative metabolism is not sufficient to provide energy for the required exercise intensity level, increased rates of glycolysis result in enhanced lactic acid production in muscles and accumulation of blood lactate, which in turn may lead to symptoms of fatigue2. Military-training-induced oxidative stress, which is exhibited by impaired enzymatic antioxidant defense and increased lipid peroxidation in the blood, causes muscle damage, indicated by an increase in the blood creatine kinase (CK) activity3.

There have been promising reports on the major role of natural antioxidants such as oregano in ameliorating oxidative stress4. Oregano contains high concentrations of the carvacrol and thymol phenols which exert strong antioxidant properties5. Furthermore, carvacrol and thymol obtained from oregano have the potential to decrease activity of reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels produced by macrophage cells6.

Shirvani et al. conducted a randomized controlled trial to investigate the effects of immediate consumption of the oregano plant after the combat readiness test on biomarkers of oxidative stress, antioxidant status, and markers of muscle damage in male army soldiers. Subjects (n=24) were healthy Iranian male soldiers (age: 24 ± 3.5 years, BMI: 23.7 ± 1.2 kg/m2). All participants had no history of kidney, liver, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or other physical injuries. Subjects were randomly divided into either the oregano treated group (n=12, 500 mg capsule) or placebo treated (n=12, 500 mg capsule of starch).

Blood samples were taken 48 hours before the start of the army combat readiness test (ACRT). Subjects were advised to eat the same specified food two days prior to testing. To assess the effects of oregano consumption on physical fitness, the soldiers warmed up for 10 minutes before performing the ACRT. Further blood samples were taken immediately post-, 60 min, and 120 min post-ACRT. Plasma and serum were separated to assess MDA, TAC, CK, LDH, SOD, hemoglobin, and GPx levels with spectrophotometric laboratory kits.

Shapiro-Wilk test was utilized to observe the normal distribution of data. T-test for independent samples was used to check possible differences between the baseline levels of variables. The effects of the ACRT test on oxidative stress variables were assessed using a 2 (“group”: oregano vs. placebo) x 4 (“time”: pre vs. post0, post60, and post120) repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). The Bonferroni test was used as a post hoc test to identify the statistically significant comparisons in case of statistically significant group x time interactions. There were no significant differences between baseline levels of CK in oregano consumption and placebo groups (t = -0.20, p = 0.83, 95% CI: -14.3-11.7). Significant findings of the study are as follows:

  • The post hoc analysis revealed a significant difference between the two groups for 60 (p < 0.001, d = 2.84) and 120 (p < 0.0001, d = 3.64) minutes in which ACRT significantly increased CK levels in the placebo group compared to the oregano-supplemented group. The main effect of time was significant for CK (p < 0.001, d = 7).
  • Repeated measures of ANOVA showed a significant group x time interaction (p < 0.001, d = 1.64) for LDH. Additionally, repeated measures ANOVA showed a significant group x time interaction (p < 0.0001, d = 9.94) for MDA.
  • The groups x time interaction for GPX was significant (p < 0.0001, d = 2.38). Additionally, the analysis of data showed that the groups x time interaction for TAC was significant (p < 0.0001, d = 5.68). Significant groups x time interaction for SOD was also reported (p < 0.0001, d = 1.88).

Results of the study show that oregano supplementation significantly increased level of GPX, TAC, and SOD, suggesting improved antioxidant capacity and reduced muscle damage and oxidative stress. Study limitations include the small sample size focusing on military personnel and the lack of further examination of oregano supplementation effects at other time points.

Source: Shirvani, Hossein, Behzad Bazgir, Alireza Shamsoddini, Ayoub Saeidi, Seyed Morteza Tayebi, Kurt A. Escobar, Ismail Laher et al. “Oregano (Origanum vulgare) Consumption Reduces Oxidative Stress and Markers of Muscle Damage after Combat Readiness Tests in Soldiers.” Nutrients 15, no. 1 (2022): 137.

© 2022 by the authors.Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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Posted March 3, 2023.

Taylor Woosley studied biology at Purdue University before becoming a 2016 graduate of Columbia College Chicago with a major in Writing. She currently resides in Glen Ellyn, IL.

References:

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