Abstract
Background: With increasing altitude, the partial pressure of oxygen and oxygen saturation (SpO2) decrease, reducing physical performance. This study investigates whether the nutritional supplement Sanopal® (5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural and α-ketoglutaric acid) increases hemoglobin-oxygen affinity and SpO₂ during exercise at moderate altitude.
Methods: Nineteen healthy young sports students (12 females, 7 males) participated in a single-blinded, placebo-controlled crossover study investigating the effects of Sanopal® at low (590 m) and moderate altitude (2900 m). Participants received Sanopal® or placebo in a randomized order, with measurements of SpO₂, heart rate, and blood parameters taken before and after ingestion, as well as before and after exercise at altitude.
Results: Under resting and acute hypoxia conditions, Sanopal® did not increase hemoglobin-oxygen affinity or SpO₂. At altitude and post-exercise, Hb-O₂ affinity decreased by approximately 5% in the PL trial but increased by approximately 2% in the SA session (interaction effect: p = 0.030). There were no significant differences in SpO₂ or heart rate between the Sanopal® and placebo groups.
Conclusions: Sanopal® did not alter hemoglobin-oxygen affinity or SpO₂ under resting conditions in normoxia or acute hypoxia. After exercise at altitude, it slightly increased Hb-O₂ affinity without significantly affecting SpO₂ or other measured blood parameters. The modest increase in Hb-O2 affinity following exercise may have limited the exercise-induced decrease in Hb-O2 affinity. However, this increase was likely too small to significantly raise SpO₂ in this cohort at a relatively low altitude.