Effects of Hyperbaric Oxygen Combined with Lycopene on Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Collegiate Badminton Players After High-Intensity Training.
Both HBO alone and HBO+LYC effectively reduced oxidative stress, inflammation, and exercise-induced fatigue following high-intensity exercise, with HBO+LYC demonstrating superior efficacy over HBO alone for selected outcomes, particularly by further enhancing glutathione peroxidase 3 activity.
Key Findings
Results
The control group showed significant increases in multiple markers of oxidative stress, inflammation, and fatigue following high-intensity exercise.
Significant increases were observed in MDA, IL-6, TNF, CRP, CK, BU, and HR (all p < 0.05)
The control group also showed a significant decrease in testosterone (T) (p < 0.05)
These changes reflect the physiological burden of high-intensity training without recovery intervention
The control group received only natural recovery (no HBO or lycopene)
Results
Both HBO and HBO+LYC interventions significantly reduced markers of oxidative stress compared to natural recovery.
Both intervention groups had significantly lower MDA compared to the control group (p < 0.05)
Both groups showed significantly higher SOD, CAT, and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) compared to control (all p < 0.05)
The intervention duration was 4 weeks
45 collegiate badminton players were randomly assigned to control, HBO, and HBO+LYC groups
Results
Both HBO and HBO+LYC interventions significantly reduced inflammatory markers compared to natural recovery.
Both intervention groups had significantly lower IL-6, TNF, and CRP compared to the control group (all p < 0.05)
Both groups also showed lower CK, BU, and HR, and higher testosterone compared to control (all p < 0.05)
These markers reflect reduced inflammation and exercise-induced fatigue
Changes were evaluated using repeated-measures ANOVA
Results
The HBO+LYC combination showed superior efficacy over HBO alone for specific outcomes including CAT, IL-6, and CK levels.
Compared with the HBO group, the HBO+LYC group showed significantly higher CAT (p < 0.05)
The HBO+LYC group showed significantly lower IL-6 and CK levels compared to HBO alone (all p < 0.05)
HBO+LYC demonstrated superior efficacy particularly by further enhancing glutathione peroxidase 3 activity
Not all markers differed significantly between the two intervention groups; differences were observed for selected outcomes
Methods
The study used a 4-week randomized intervention design with collegiate badminton players undergoing high-intensity training.
Total sample size was n = 45 collegiate badminton players
Participants were randomly assigned to three groups: control (natural recovery), HBO, and HBO+LYC
Each group completed a 4-week intervention in accordance with its assigned protocol
Oxidative stress, inflammation-related markers, and exercise-induced fatigue indicators were assessed before and after the intervention
This research suggests that hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy—breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber—can help athletes recover faster from intense exercise by reducing harmful byproducts of physical stress. The study followed 45 collegiate badminton players over four weeks, comparing those who used HBO therapy, those who used HBO combined with the antioxidant supplement lycopene (found naturally in tomatoes), and those who simply recovered naturally. After high-intensity training, athletes who received no special recovery treatment showed elevated levels of markers associated with muscle damage, inflammation, and oxidative stress, while their antioxidant defenses declined. Those who received HBO or HBO with lycopene showed meaningfully better profiles across all these measures.
This research also suggests that adding lycopene to HBO therapy provides additional benefits beyond HBO alone, particularly in reducing the inflammatory marker IL-6, lowering creatine kinase (a sign of muscle damage), and boosting levels of the antioxidant enzyme catalase and glutathione peroxidase 3. These findings point to a potential synergy between oxygen therapy and antioxidant supplementation in supporting athletic recovery.
For athletes and sports medicine practitioners, this study offers preliminary evidence that combining HBO with lycopene supplementation could be a practical strategy to speed recovery after intense physical activity. However, the study was conducted on a relatively small, specialized group (collegiate badminton players), so further research with larger and more diverse populations would be needed to confirm how broadly these results apply.
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Xiang Y, Peng Z, Fu B, Qian Y, Ma T, Gao B, et al.. (2026). Effects of Hyperbaric Oxygen Combined with Lycopene on Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Collegiate Badminton Players After High-Intensity Training.. Nutrients. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18172861