Ergogenic effects of Tribulus terrestris supplementation in men

The main objective of this research project was to evaluate the effects of Tribulus terrestris supplementation on body composition, muscular strength and serum hormone profile in men. The research material included 24 competitive basketball players (age- 26.2±3.4 years, body height 191.2±6.7 cm, body mass- 91.5±9.8 kg) divided into 3 groups of 8 subjects each. One group received a supplement called “Tribusteron” which contained only saponins from Tribulus terrestris; another was supplemented with “Acetosteron”, a product containing the same amount of saponins but fortified with zinc, magnesium and vitamin B6. The third group of players received a placebo containing gelatin and was treated as a control group. The experiment lasted for 4 weeks during which all subjects performed six basketball training sessions weekly and three specific strength workouts. Body composition (electrical impedance), muscular strength (hack squat and bench press) and serum hormone profile (testosterone, estradiol and luteinizing hormone) were evaluated before and after the cessation of the experiment. The results indicate that in young, physically active men serum testosterone concentrations are high and supplementation with Tribulus terrestris do not influence these values significantly. Supplements containing saponins do not stimulate significant changes in body mass and composition as well as muscular strength in well trained athletes.