The placebo effect does not work in sports nutrition Dr Marc Saramito, a specialist in micronutrition and sports nutrition, has been recommending that athletes consume melon SOD for some twenty years. Because it is responsible for tissue degradation, poor adaptation to exercise and reduced training efficiency, oxidative stress is now a favourite target for athletes. Actif’s Mag: Could you describe the levers you use when Actif’s Mag: You just mentioned that melon SOD acts advising athletes? from the gut. Is there a particular approach to the Dr Marc Saramito: Whatever the sport, my role is to establishmicrobiota in athletes? a nutritional plan adapted to the needs of athletes and theirDr Marc Saramito: I am convinced of the importance of the chronobiology. In this process, micronutrition is one of the microbiota on the state of fitness of an athlete. As you know, pillars of my approach. It corresponds to a real «tailor-made»immunity, morale and vitamin absorption depend on its good and natural medicine. It also has a social virtue with sportsmenbalance. Conversely, its imbalance can lead to asthma, aller- and women, because being based on the use of vitamins, ami- gies, etc. Intestinal disinfection makes sense for athletes. After no acids, etc., they accept it. And it is in the context of thisirrigating the colon and «washing» it, a course of probiotics pro- approach that I became interested in melon SOD. An athlete vides general benefits. • has a pragmatic relationship with nutrition. The placebo ef- fect does not exist for an athlete. What matters to him is to Comments collected by Philippe Millet get a good return from the products he consumes. This is the case with this SOD. Cell protection is important both in the fight against ageing and in sports medicine. Our antioxidant defences prevent oxidative stress and inflammation, and also facilitate physical and mental well-being. Melon SOD reduces damage to cell membranes and DNA. The biological demons- tration of this effect has been carried out with a team of top triathletes. Actif’s Mag: Why does it do this? And how does it work? Dr Marc Saramito: There are several key parameters that ex- plain the interest of this SOD in sports. The reaction time after its consumption is two to three weeks. So by having it consu- med a few weeks before a competition, it deploys its effective- ness during the race. And above all, because it has a persistent effect, the benefit of one month’s consumption lasts from six to« Micronutrition is one of the pillars eight weeks. This makes it possible to envisage cures and notof my approach. It corresponds to a real recurrent consumption. Another parameter is that melon SOD «tailor-made» and natural medicine» does not disrupt the «messaging» of biological suffering that maintains the background activity of the antioxidant system. InDr Marc Saramito contrast to many antioxidants that turn off this information sys-Sports doctor specialist in micronutrition tem and decrease the activity of the antioxidant system when the treatment is stopped. The interesting thing about this SOD is that its mode of action is indirect. Its activity is through stimulation of the antioxidant mechanisms in the gut, not through absorption. Rather than its bioavailability, it is its bioefficiency that is important. stekraM — séhcraMOTIMARAS CRAM RD WEIVRETNI- 81 -