The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of vitamin E and EPA supplementation on the blood levels of pro-inflammatory cytokine TNFα, anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-2 and the erythrocyte antioxidant enzyme glutathione reductase (GR) in male basketball players.

In a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial thirty-six healthy well-trained male basketball players (17–35 years old) were randomized into four groups to take daily 2 g EPA (plusEPA™; Minami Nutrition, Edegem, Belgium), 400 mg vitamin E, a combination of the two or a placebo. Venous blood samples for analysis were taken from the subjects between 17.00 and 18.00 hours after exercising for 2 h and at the beginning and after 6 weeks of supplementation. Serum IL-2 and TNFα were measured with Bender Medsystems kits (Vienna, Austria) using ELISA and GR was determined by the Sauberlich method⁽ Footnote ^{1 )}.

The Table shows that for the EPA+vitamin E group when compared with the vitamin E, EPA and placebo groups there was a decrease in the serum TNFα level (P<0.005; paired t test) and an increase in the serum IL-2 level (P<0.05). The erythrocyte GR level increased significantly in both the EPA+vitamin E (P=0.04) and vitamin E groups (P=0.01).

Adding EPA to vitamin E supplements can result in desirable changes in the inflammatory response and antioxidant capacity of male basketball players. This effect would have implications from a practical point of view, since exercise produces inflammatory and oxidative effects.