Protective and Recovery Effects of Resveratrol Supplementation on Exercise Performance and Muscle Damage following Acute Plyometric Exercise

Nutrients

Sep 2021

DOI: 10.3390/nu13093217

Citations:30

Influential Citations:1

Interventional (Human) Studies

Enhanced Details

Methods

Double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial with 36 healthy, young, non-athletic male participants (mean age ~21.1 years; height ~173 cm; weight ~70 kg). Exclusions included musculoskeletal or metabolic disorders; no supplements/medications for 4 weeks prior; plyometric-exercise-induced muscle damage (PEIMD) protocol applied with measurements up to 72 h post-PEIMD.

Intervention

Trans-resveratrol supplementation for 10 days around PEIMD: RES-500 group received 500 mg/day RES with a matching 500 mg/day methylcellulose as vehicle; RES-1000 group received 1000 mg/day RES; Placebo group received 1000 mg/day methylcellulose. Capsules contained piperine 5 mg and binder; taken as two equal daily doses (morning and evening).

Results

RES supplementation, especially at 1000 mg/day, reduced PEIMD-related muscle damage and soreness and accelerated recovery of explosive and anaerobic performance. CK decreased by about 19–26% at 24 h and 30–39% at 48 h in RES-500 and RES-1000 vs placebo; LDH decreased by about 12% at 2 h in RES-1000. Pain thresholds (PPT) increased in RES groups at 24 h (vastus lateralis 1.30–1.41x) and 72 h (vastus medialis 1.68x for RES-1000). Wingate results at 24 h were ~11% higher for RES-1000 vs placebo. Vertical jump height showed no protective effect. No adverse effects on liver or kidney function observed. Authors conclude preloading RES can reduce muscle damage, inflammation, and soreness and accelerate recovery, offering a strategy to maintain training quality during high-repetition eccentric exercise.

Limitations

Male-only, non-athlete sample; small size; short-term follow-up; not standardized diet; results may not generalize to women, athletes, or other populations.

Abstract

Plyometric exercise (PE) is an effective training method to increase muscle mass and strength. However, excessive or inappropriate conditions might cause exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD). Resveratrol (RES) is a natural polyphenol plant antitoxin, which improves exercise performance, and exhibits anti-oxidation, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer effects. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of RES supplementation on the recovery of muscle damage, inflammation, soreness, muscle power, and anaerobic performance following plyometric-exercise-induced muscle damage (PEIMD). The present study was a double-blind, placebo-controlled research trial. Thirty-six young, untrained males were enrolled into the placebo (n = 12), RES-500 (500 mg RES/day, n = 12), or RES-1000 (1000 mg RES/day, n = 12) group by a jumping height-counterbalanced grouping design. At baseline, to pre-PEIMD, supplements were pre-loaded 7 days before they conducted PEIMD, and the exercise performance, delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and muscle damage biomarkers were measured over the experimental period at baseline, pre-PEIMD, and post-PEIMD at 2, 24, 48, and 72 h. As a result, we found that, at 72 h post-EIMD, the force peak (FP) and rate of force development (RFD) of the counter movement jump (CMJ) in RES groups showed no significant difference compared to that at baseline but was significantly greater than the placebo group. In the Wingate anaerobic test (WAnT), supplementation in the RES group had a better recovery effect on the relative peak power (RPP), relative mean power (RMP) and fatigue index (FI) (p < 0.05), especially in the high-dose group. For the detection of muscle pain after PEIMD, the RES supplement group was significantly better than the placebo group (p < 0.05). In addition, for muscle damage indexes, such as creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), after PEIMD, supplementation with RES could significantly reduce and accelerate recovery (p < 0.05). In addition, the blood biochemical indicators of blood count, liver function, and kidney function showed that RES will not cause adverse risks to the human body. Our results suggest that replenishing RES in advance could effectively reduce muscle pain, increase exercise performance, and decrease muscle damage indicators caused by PEIMD, and the recovery was faster. Therefore, plyometric exercises combined with suitable RES supplementation could be an effective candidate for controlling muscle damage, improving physical adaption, and recovering anaerobic capacity. show less