containing edible yellow No. 4, edible yellow No. 5, sucrose, silica, talc, oxidized starch, gelatin, magnesium stearate, and palm wax.

Each capsule containing 4 mg of AST

The Placebo capsule supplement was taken for 4 days (7 capsules per day)

Investigators conducted a double-blind test, where volunteers' basal maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) was measured both before the intervention. The pretest VO2max is a reference to adjust the exercise intensity for each individual. To assess exhaustive endurance, participants exercised at 75% of their VO2max, and the cycling time from the start to the point of exhaustion was recorded.

Blood samples were collected at five different time points (one hour before (B), at the beginning (0 min), during (20 min, 40 min), and immediately (E) after the exhaustive cycling exercise challenge. Changes in blood glucose levels were estimated using blood from the fingertips via an Accu-Chek® Guide blood glucose glucometer (Roche, Mannheim, Germany). Muscle damage biomarkers, including creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and uric acid (UA), were measured in the serum. The CK (EC2.7.3.2), LDH (EC 1.1.1.27), and UA (C97792) concentrations were estimated using commercial analytical reagents (Beckman Coulter). An automated clinical chemistry analyzer was used to measure CK and LDH levels on a Beckman Coulter AU5800 (Beckman Coulter Inc., CA, USA).

Blood samples were collected at five different time points (one hour before (B), at the beginning (0 min), during (20 min, 40 min), and immediately (E) after the exhaustive cycling exercise challenge. The scavenging ability of antioxidants (6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchroman-2-carboxylic acid, Trolox) was determined using a curve, and the amount of Trolox equivalent to the test serum's inhibition rate was calculated. Next, the level of malondialdehyde (MDA), a standard biomarker of lipid peroxidation, was determined by an ELISA kit provided by the Caman Company (Cayman Chemical Company, Michigan, USA). As described in the protocol, the reaction mixture was boiled at 90-100°C for 60 min, and the absorbance at 550 nm was measured using an ELISA plate reader (Tecan GENios, A-5082, Austria). The values are expressed as micromoles of MDA per liter.