Tier 2 — strong

N-acetylcysteine attenuates the decline in muscle Na+,K+-pump activity and delays fatigue during prolonged exercise in humans

Michael J McKenna, Ivan Medved, Craig A Goodman, Malcolm J Brown, Andrew R Bjorksten, Kate T Murphy, Aaron C Petersen, Simon Sostaric, Xiaofei Gong
J Physiol 2006 576(Pt 1):279-288

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 16840514
PubMed Central
PMC1995650
DOI
10.1113/jphysiol.2006.115352
Funding
Funding disclosure was not located in the indexed record reviewed; consult the source publication for the full funding statement.
Competing interests
Competing-interest disclosure was not located in the indexed record reviewed; consult the source publication for the full declaration.

Study snapshot

DesignPlacebo-controlled crossover infusion study
ModelHuman
Sample8 well-trained participants
InterventionIntravenous NAC during prolonged exercise
DurationAcute exercise experiment
EndpointsTime to fatigue; Muscle Na+/K+ pump activity; Potassium regulation

What the study showed, in plain terms

Human mechanistic study exploring how NAC may influence fatigue through muscle ion handling.

Key findings

NAC attenuated the exercise-related decline in Na+/K+ pump activity and delayed fatigue.

What this study can and cannot tell us

Intravenous route, very small sample and mechanistic setting limit relevance to ordinary oral supplementation.

Editorial review

Reviewed by the Biohack Blueprint research team

Last verified

Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction Dr. Amr Yasser, PhDCardiometabolic, Musculoskeletal, Gut & Bioavailability Dr. Abdulla Mostafa, PhDCellular Senescence, Neurological, Mitochondrial & Brain-Ageing Biology