Background: Exercise training is known to increase fat utilization during exercise. Diets containing antioxidants and\r\nbranch chain amino acids (BCAAs) are also reported to have potential effects on fat utilization. Cashew apple juice\r\n(CAJ) comprises many nutritional components including vitamin C and BCAAs. This study aimed to investigate the\r\neffect of CAJ supplementation on substrate utilization during high-intensity exercise in trained and untrained\r\nsubjects.\r\nMethods: Ten trained and ten untrained men were randomly supplemented with either placebo (PLA) or CAJ at\r\n3.5 ml/kg body mass (BM) /day for 4 weeks with a 4-week washout between treatments in a randomized cross-over\r\ndesign. Before and after the 4-week supplementations all subjects performed cycling exercise at 85% of maximal\r\noxygen consumption for 20 minutes. At rest, before, and immediately after the exercise, venous blood samples\r\nwere taken to determine glucose, insulin and lipid concentrations. Expired air was collected during the 20 minutes\r\nof exercise to calculate substrate utilization.\r\nResults: During the exercise in both trained and untrained groups, there were lower carbohydrate (CHO) and\r\nhigher fat oxidation rates and contributions to total energy expenditure after the CAJ supplementation compared\r\nto the PLA supplementation (p<0.05). These values were greater in the trained group than the untrained group\r\nexcept CHO oxidation rates (p<0.05), which were not significantly different. Moreover, in both trained and untrained\r\ngroups, resting plasma vitamin C concentrations were significantly higher after the CAJ supplementation compared\r\nto the PLA supplementation, without any change after the PLA supplementation. These values were greater in the\r\ntrained group than the untrained group (p<0.05). There were no significant differences in glucose, insulin or lipid\r\nconcentrations between the groups� blood samples.\r\nConclusion: The findings of this study suggest that CAJ supplementation enhanced fat oxidation during exercise\r\nmay enhance endurance performance, but specific studies are needed to assess this possibility.
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