Effect of acute vitamin B6 supplementation on the performance of a kicking protocol in taekwondo athletes

Background and Study Aim: Taekwondo is a martial art of high intensity with rapid and repeated blows that require a rapid energy demand. Supplementation of vitamin B-6 can be used aiding the release of glucose and its acute effects on fighters are still scarce. The aim of this study was knowledge about the effect of supplementation with vitamin B-6 in the performance of athletes during the taekwondo kicks bandal tchagui protocol. Material and Methods: In this study were included five taekwondo athletes, and they received vitamin B-6 or placebo. After 30 minutes, these athletes passed by a protocol of kicks bandal tchagui comprising two rounds with 1 minute. We analyzed the amount of kicks, minute ventilation, blood glucose levels and cardiovascular responses. Results are expressed as mean and standard deviation. We used the Student t-test for independent samples, considering a significant difference when p<0.05. Results: There was an increase of kicks (15 kicks, similar to 6%) in the minute ventilation (9.6 ml/kg/min, similar to 9%) and blood glucose (16 mg/dL, similar to 15%) supplemented with the situation vitamin B-6. Conclusions: The data from this study suggest that vitamin B-6 might be assisting in both the performance of athletes of taekwondo and the availability of glucose for energy compensation for the year, and thus aid in performance.