This Supplement Enhances Sports Recovery

Strenuous exercise can damage muscles and surrounding tissues, leading to inflammation. This inflammation can cause muscle soreness and reduced muscle strength, which can last for several days.

Soccer players, who have limited recovery time between matches, often use drugs like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to recover faster. But these can have side effects.

Nutritional supplements rich in polyphenols, such as curcumin from turmeric, have been studied for their potential benefits in exercise recovery. Curcumin has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. And it may help reduce inflammation and muscle damage caused by exercise.

STUDY: Curcumin Attenuates Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness and Muscle Function Deficits Following a Soccer Match in Male Professional Soccer Players

Study Design

In a study with professional soccer players, researchers used a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design to investigate the effects of curcumin supplementation on recovery from matches. Eleven male soccer players from a Premier League club participated in the study.

Baseline measurements of dependent variables such as muscle soreness, jump height, reactive strength index, and subjective well-being were taken two days before matches. These measurements were repeated at 12, 36, and 60 hours after matches, before training sessions, while the players were in a fasted state.

The study used curcumin supplements and a placebo control. And the outcomes measured were jump height, reactive strength index, muscle soreness, and subjective well-being.

Study Results

The study found that there were no differences between interventions in terms of data on external loads, daily energy intake, and macronutrient intake. There were also no differences based on the order of trials for measures such as countermovement jump (CMJ), reactive strength index (RSI), delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and subjective wellbeing.

However, there were changes over time following matches, with the biggest differences occurring at 12 hours post-match. CMJ and RSI were higher in the curcumin group compared to the control group at most time-points, especially at 12 hours post-match. DOMS was higher in the control group at 12 and 36 hours post-match, but not in the curcumin group.

Wellbeing was rated worse in the control group at 12 and 36 hours post-match. But no changes were observed in the curcumin group. Wellbeing was also better with curcumin supplementation at 12 and 60 hours post-match.

This study found that taking curcumin supplements helped professional male soccer players recover faster from muscle soreness after a game. This is the first study to investigate the effects of curcumin on elite-level team-sport athletes using match-play as an exercise-induced muscle damage model. The results showed that curcumin supplementation reduced muscle soreness and improved muscle function recovery, which is consistent with previous studies in untrained/moderately trained individuals and animals.

Curcumin is believed to work by interacting with various inflammatory and oxidative pathways in the body, suppressing pro-inflammatory cytokines, and supporting antioxidant enzymes. However, more research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms by which curcumin may enhance recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage.

Thrivous Recommendation

Thrivous develops Tenacity Arthroprotector to enhance joint and bone function for better aging. Each serving of Tenacity provides a clinical dose of Turmeric Curcumin, along with complementary nutrients. As indicated by this study, Tenacity may reduce muscle soreness and improve recovery after sports and exercise. Get your Tenacity in the online Thrivous store today!