Effects of Hyperbaric Oxygen Combined with Lycopene on Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Collegiate Badminton Players After High-Intensity Training
Yang Xiang, Zihan Peng, Beilun Fu, Youling Qian, Tao Ma, Binghong Gao et al. · Nutrients · 2026
Objectives: This study
Aims: to compare the effects of three interventions, namely hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy, HBO combined with lycopene (LYC) supplementation, and natural recovery, on oxidative stress and inflammatory responses following high-intensity exercise. The
Goal: is to provide a theoretical foundation and methodological reference for strategies that help reduce fatigue after intense physical activity.
Methods: Collegiate badminton players (n = 45) were randomly assigned to control, HBO, and HBO+LYC groups. Each group completed a 4-week intervention in accordance with its assigned protocol. The levels of oxidative stress, inflammation-related markers, and exercise-induced fatigue indicators were assessed before and after the intervention. Changes in these markers following high-intensity exercise were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA to evaluate the effects of HBO and HBO+LYC.
Results: Following the intervention, the control group showed significant increases in malondialdehyde (MDA), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), C-reactive protein (CRP), creatine kinase (CK), blood urea (BU), and heart rate (HR), along with a significant decrease in testosterone (T) (all p < 0.05). Compared with the control group, both intervention groups had significantly lower MDA, IL-6, TNF, CRP, CK, BU, and HR and higher superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) (all p < 0.05). Compared with the HBO group, the HBO+LYC group showed significantly higher CAT and lower IL-6 and CK levels (all p < 0.05).
Conclusions: Both HBO alone and HBO+LYC effectively reduced oxidative stress, inflammation, and exercise-induced fatigue, as evidenced by decreased MDA, IL-6, TNF, CRP, CK, BU, and HR, along with increased SOD and CAT, T-AOC, and T. Moreover, HBO+LYC demonstrated superior efficacy over HBO alone for selected outcomes, particularly by further enhancing glutathione peroxidase 3 activity. These
Findings: suggest that HBO, especially when combined with LYC, may be an effective strategy to attenuate oxidative stress and inflammation and promote recovery following high-intensity exercise.