Does vitamin E and Beta Carotene affect the common cold in physically active men?

A number of studies have indicated that heavy physical activity may increase the incidence of symptoms commonly associated with upper respiratory infections (URI). Higher incidence of URI was found within 1-2 weeks after a marathon competition when compared to non-running athletes, but shorter running competitions did not increase subsequent URI incidence. It has also been proposed that moderate regular aerobic training may enhance immunocompetance, whereas excessive training may cause immunosuppression. This study evaluated whether physical activity at work, or at leisure, is associated with the risk of the common cold, and whether the antioxidants vitamin E and beta carotene affect common cold risk in physically active people.

A group of 14,000 men, aged 50-69 years participated in this study. Physical activity at work, and the type and frequency of leisure time exercise was recorded at the beginning of the study. The subjects were also questioned about common cold episodes they had experienced in the past three years. The results showed that physical activity at work and at leisure had no association with common cold risk. In subjects with physically load bearing jobs, neither vitamin E nor Beta Carotene significantly affected the risk of common cold. Surprisingly, those subjects who participated in heavy exercise at leisure and took vitamin E and Beta Carotene had an increased the risk of colds when compared to the placebos.

Contrary to previous suggestions, moderate physical activity is not associated with lower risk of common cold in middle aged males. It has been previously proposed that antioxidant supplementation might be beneficial for subjects carrying out heavy exercise, but in this study vitamin E and Beta Carotene increased the risk of colds in subjects carrying out heavy exercise at leisure