Oral antioxidant supplementation does not prevent acute mountain sickness: double blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial.

Study answer

What this study found

Oral antioxidant supplementation did not prevent acute mountain sickness or improve related physiologic measures at 5200 m. On Day 2, acute mountain sickness by Lake Louise Consensus symptom score > 3 occurred in 25/36 (69%) antioxidant participants versus 23/35 (66%) placebo participants (P = 0.74). There were no differences in AMS severity by VAS, pulmonary artery pressure, or oxygen saturation. The authors concluded that this antioxidant combination is not effective for AMS prophylaxis.

Study & population

Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial in healthy lowland volunteers enrolled in the Apex 2 expedition to Bolivia.

Intervention

The active regimen was a daily oral antioxidant combination in sealed capsules: 1 g L-ascorbic acid, 400 IU a-tocopherol acetate, and 600 mg alpha-lipoic acid, taken in four divided doses per day.

Key limitation

The primary outcome was available for only 36 of 41 participants in the antioxidant arm.

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Original abstract