Dissertation for Master's degree
in the field of physical education, sports physiology
Introduction
Today, there is a fierce competition between athletes in different countries to win championship titles in the Olympic, world and continental games, and the effort to improve the performance of athletes has also made sports scientists to be more active in this field and has increased research in sports science. In recent years, the examination of the benefits and positive and negative effects of nutritional supplements on sports performance has been the focus of the experts in the field of sports science. Also, due to the strictness of the International Anti-Doping Agency regarding the consumption of prohibited substances and compounds, the attention of researchers and athletes has been drawn to food supplements and plant compounds so that they can improve sports performance and get better results in sports competitions. Therefore, people have been using plants for centuries to improve their health. Throughout history, plants have been used as food or medicine for treatment or prevention (Swerdiow, 2000). Due to the presence of effective substances and their association with other substances, medicinal plants have a state of biological balance, so their consumption does not accumulate in the body and does not cause side effects.
Medicinal plants have received special attention today and many studies have been conducted on them in order to produce different drugs and new food supplements, some of which are used as supplements to improve sports performance and some have not had a positive effect. Ebrahim et al. (2000) showed that garlic supplementation increases the maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max) due to the prevention of platelet aggregation and the activation of fibrinolysis factors and the increase of blood fluidity. In a study conducted on ginseng, they concluded that daily consumption of 200 mg of ginseng supplement for 3 weeks in healthy young people with moderate exercise capacity and a normal diet did not have a significant and significant effect on increasing VO2max (Jason et al., 1996). The main components are physical fitness, which has a significant contribution in increasing the capabilities of athletes, especially in endurance sports. Cardiorespiratory fitness is the ability of the heart to send a sufficient volume of oxygen-rich blood to the muscles and consume as much of it as possible during physical activity. To improve cardio-respiratory fitness along with regular exercises and proper nutrition, the use of some approved supplements can be useful. Among the available methods to increase cardiovascular endurance are the use of carbohydrate supplements, vitamins, sodium bicarbonate loading, anabolic steroids, music, etc. is In addition to the mentioned cases, the use of herbal supplements to improve cardio-respiratory endurance has recently received much attention from researchers due to its positive effect and fewer side effects. These types of plants include saffron, guarana, garlic, ginseng, gingobilba, sage, cumin, etc. pointed out.
Saffron with its scientific name (Crocus sativus) and common name (saffron) is a herbaceous, perennial, stemless plant that has a bulbous root and is known as the flower of health, the king of spices and red gold. Its dry stigma is used as a food flavoring and seasoning in most countries of the world. Besides being a widely used food seasoning, saffron also has many pharmacological effects and is considered a strong medicine because with small daily amounts of 100 mg of saffron or 30 mg of saffron hydroalcoholic extract powder, it can cause significant pharmacological effects in humans (Kian Bakht, 2008).
Saffron extract contains many compounds including ?-crostin[1], crocins which include crocin[2], dicrostin[3], tricrostin[4], picrocrostin[5] and safranal[6]. Carotenoids such as beta-carotene, lycopene, xanthan, and vitamins, especially riboflavin and thiamin, are also found in saffron. Crocin, crostin and safranal are the main effective substances of saffron, which attribute pharmacological activities and therapeutic effects to them (Kian Bakht, 2007).
Due to its long history, saffron has a special value in traditional medicine, and for this reason, it is the basis of new scientific research.
Saffron has a special value due to its long history in traditional medicine, and for this reason, it has become the basis of new scientific research and its properties have been investigated in many studies. New researches show that saffron and its effective ingredients have heart protective effects (Razavi et al., 2012), antitumor (Premkumar et al., 2003), antioxidant (Pham & Cormier, 2000), memory and learning enhancer (Abe & Satio, 2000), pain reliever and anti-inflammatory (Arbabian et al., 2009), anticonvulsant (Hosseinzadeh and Talebzadeh, 2006), antidepressant. (Akhundzadeh et al., 2006), lowering blood pressure (Aiman ??Shahidi et al., 2009), reducing blood sugar and fat (Sheng et al., 2006) and increasing oxygen supply to tissues (Grisolia, 1974), dilating the bronchi (Baskabadi and Aslani, 2000) and is It is also mentioned in traditional medicine that saffron is able to provide cardiovascular health (Razavi et al., 2012). Imam Qureshi et al. in 2013, in a study entitled the effect of sub-chronic administration of aqueous and hydroalcoholic extracts of saffron, showed that the administration of aqueous extract and also alcoholic extract of saffron increased swimming time in mice, and the reason for this was the antidepressant effect of saffron and its effect. In the research of Fatehi et al. (2006), the ethanolic and aqueous extracts of saffron reduced the mean arterial blood pressure in anesthetized rats, which was attributed to the effect of the saffron extract on the peripheral resistance of the vessels. The results of the research of Baskabadi et al. It is theophylline and saffron has been responsible for this effect of saffron. It was shown in studies that crocin has anti-atherosclerosis properties and prevents the increase of triglycerides, LDL, and cholesterol in the blood serum. The results of Memarbashi and Rajabi (2013) conducted on 24 inactive students of Mohaghegh University showed that consuming 300 mg of saffron for ten days prevents the reduction of maximum isotonic and isometric strength following a session of eccentric muscle activity. The possible reasons for this increase in strength are the vasodilator effects, the possibility of better blood supply to the muscles, and the increase in oxygen supply due to the removal of free radicals in the muscle due to the consumption of saffron.
Research findings showed that taking saffron supplement along with intense physical activity increases superoxide dismutase enzyme and decreases catalase enzyme (Moradi et al. 2019).
Superoxide dismutase and catalase 2 are enzymes that can break down oxygen free radicals caused by the electron transport chain, and their most important function in the heart is to remove free radicals, which in this way can help the health and function of the heart.
Considering the extremely useful properties of saffron and its effective ingredients and the positive effects it has on the health of the cardio-respiratory system, and because there is no research on the effect of saffron on Cardio-respiratory endurance factors have not been done, the present research was designed and implemented with the aim of investigating the effect of saffron supplement consumption on cardio-respiratory endurance indicators. Consumption of saffron has a significant effect on the pre-test heart rate of inactive young girls.
2. Consumption of saffron has a significant effect on the heart rate after the test of inactive girls.
3. Consumption of saffron has a significant effect on the ventilation threshold (VT) of inactive young girls.
4. Consumption of saffron has a significant effect on the period of rest of inactive young girls.
5. Consumption of saffron has a significant effect on systolic blood pressure of inactive young girls.
6. Consumption of saffron has a significant effect on diastolic blood pressure of inactive young girls.
7. Consumption of saffron has a significant effect on the respiratory exchange (RER) of inactive young girls.
8. Consumption of saffron has a significant effect on the maximum oxygen consumption (VO2MAX) of inactive young girls.
9. Consumption of saffron has a significant effect on the heart rate breaking point of inactive young girls. 10. Consumption of saffron has a significant effect on the maximum oxygen pulse values ??(o2pulse of inactive young girls.
11. Consumption of saffron has a significant effect on the amount of METS during the Bruce test of inactive young girls.
12. Consumption of saffron has a significant effect on the amount of carbohydrate oxidation during the Bruce test of inactive young girls.
13.