Nutritional Strategies and Muscle Recovery: Part 3

Exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) generally causes soreness, inflammation and reduced muscle function. This can cause discomfort and negatively affect performance or the quality of subsequent training, particularly in people who have limited time to recover between training sessions or competitions.

In recent years, numerous techniques have been used—including massage, cryotherapy, electrotherapy, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and stretching—to combat the signs and symptoms of EIMD, with mixed results. In addition, some nutrition and supplementation interventions intended to address EIMD-related outcomes have gained prominence in the literature.

Initial evidence suggests that long-term consumption of antioxidant-rich foods (tart cherry juice, pomegranate juice, beetroot juice and watermelon juice), as well as several chronic supplementation strategies (creatine, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin D3), may help reduce symptoms of exercise-induced muscle damage and improve muscle function in a range of populations.

More information is needed on the magnitude of these strategies in female populations and on the effectiveness of many promising supplements, such as pineapple-derived proteases, ginger, ginseng, curcumin, taurine, β-hydroxymethylbutyrate and caffeine.

Finally, reducing EIMD symptoms may improve adherence to training in untrained individuals, who experience greater muscle damage, or older adults who may perceive muscle stiffness or soreness as a negative consequence of starting an exercise program.

The decision about which nutritional strategy to use should account for the substance's multiple physiological effects. For example, besides requiring adequate recovery, endurance athletes would probably benefit from several mechanisms of action when choosing beetroot juice as a recovery strategy, because it acts on EIMD-related symptoms and also improves endurance-exercise performance when consumed chronically.

Similarly, a strength athlete seeking to improve recovery through a nutritional strategy would benefit from the well-supported ergogenic effects of chronic creatine consumption, in addition to its effect on EIMD.

It is possible that prophylactic supplementation with multiple nutrients acts through different physiological mechanisms  and produces a synergistic effect on EIMD symptoms beyond that of the individual nutrients alone. For example, a combination of sufficient doses of tart cherry juice, which provides antioxidant effects; curcumin, which influences COX-2 signaling; β-hydroxymethylbutyrate, which improves muscle-protein synthesis; and vitamin D3, which regulates skeletal-muscle function and inflammation, may facilitate greater recovery from EIMD than any single supplementation strategy. Nevertheless, caution is required, and more information is needed regarding interactions among the different nutritional strategies. 

In addition to all of this, there are other substances, such as the various polyphenols  produced by plants, that perform several functions, including defense against pathogens and antioxidants. They contribute to the flavor and color characteristics of fruits and vegetables, but ~ 90% of dietary polyphenols escape absorption in the small intestine and subsequently become bioavailable through the actions of gut bacteria in the colon.

Recovery of muscle strength and exercise performance after intensive exercise is enhanced by polyphenol supplementation, probably because of protection against oxidative damage.

Polyphenol content is determined by the different species and growing conditions (sunlight, water, nutrient availability and temperature), as well as post-harvest processing, transport and storage conditions.

Consumption of fruit-derived polyphenols, including those from cherries, blueberries, blackcurrants, pomegranates and cocoa, reduces plasma markers of oxidative damage and inflammation.

There is therefore a strong rationale for suggesting that polyphenols may improve exercise performance and recovery from intensive exercise because of their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and vasoactive properties.

The conclusion of these three articles on improving recovery and muscle damage in athletes is clear: “Eat fruit and vegetables, and periodize supplementation with antioxidants” around competition with the help of a professional so that it does not interfere with different adaptations.

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Bibliography

Harty, P. S., Cottet, M. L., Malloy, J. K., & Kerksick, C. M. (2019). Nutritional and supplementation strategies to prevent and attenuate exercise-induced muscle damage: a brief review. Sports medicine-open, 5(1), 1.

Bowtell, J., & Kelly, V. (2019). Fruit-derived polyphenol supplementation for athlete recovery and performance. Sports Medicine, 49(1), 3-23.