Feature Health & Medicine

For athletes, antioxidant pills may not help performance

Some supplements can blunt the positive effects of exercise training

pill man

TOUGH TO SWALLOW  Antioxidant pills may not help athletes after all.

M. Telfer

By Laura Beil

- More than 2 years ago

In the fickle world of sports nutrition fads, few trends have shown the staying power of antioxidants. For more than three decades, athletes have remained devoted fans of supplements; the American College of Sports Medicine estimates that around half of elite athletes take vitamins in hopes of keeping their bodies fit and boosting endurance.