ABSTRACT
Flavonoids comprise a large group of plant metabolites, 6,000 of which have been identified to date. Some studies have shown the increased aerobic performance and maximal oxygen consumption [VO[2max]] and therefore fitness following quercetin intake as a result of elevated number of intracellular mitochondria caused by the flavonoid. This double-blind clinical trial comprised 60 male students having an athletic history of at least 3 years. Body composition, exercise performance, and some blood biomarkers were analyzed. The individuals were selected by convenient sampling, and then were assigned into four groups of equal number by using permuted block randomization. The first to fourth groups received a 500 mg supplemental quercetin capsule plus a 250 mg vitamin C pill, a 500 mg supplemental quercetin capsule plus a 250 mg placebo vitamin C pill, a 500 mg placebo quercetin capsule plus a 250 mg vitamin C pill, and a 500 mg placebo quercetin capsule plus a 250 mg placebo vitamin C pill, respectively, daily for 8 weeks. The participants were asked to continue their routine diet and physical activity during the study and they were monitored through phone calls or text messages. Lean body mass, total body water, basal metabolic rate, and total energy expenditure increased significantly in the quercetin group after intervention. On the other hand, VO[2max] increased in the "quercetin" and "quercetin + vitamin C" groups following the intervention, non-significantly. Our findings suggest that supplementation with quercetin in athletes may improve some indices of performance
ABSTRACT
To examine effect of an educational intervention on depression and quality of life in patients with coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. This was a quasi-experimental study of 54 patients after bypass surgery in the Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Center. The patients randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. Primarily Cardiac Depression Scale was used to measure depression. In addition, a PRCEDE-based educational questionnaire and the end SF-36 questionnaire were used. The intervention group received a PRCEDE Model educational package up four months. After education the mean score of Predisposing factors, Enabling factors, Reinforcing factors and self-helping behaviors increased significantly in the intervention group as compared to the control group [P < 0.001]. The mean score of depression in control group [M = 104/5, SD = 30/4] and intervention group [M = 112/8, SD = 21/9] decreased significantly, but this effect was more pronounced in intervention group [M = 66/2, SD = 22 vs M = 89/2, SD = 27/8]. Also the significant differences in quality of life between two groups were seen in physical functioning [P < 0.04], role emotional [P < 0.01] and mental component summary [P < 0.04]. The findings of this study indicated that the PRCEDE Model was effective educational intervention in reducing depression and enhancing quality of life in patients with coronary artery bypass surgery