Review Article

http://dx.doi.org/10.12965/jer.140179 Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation 2014;10(6):349-356

A review of nutritional intervention on delayed onset

muscle soreness. Part I
Jooyoung Kim, Joohyung Lee*
College of Physical Education, Kookmin University, Seoul, Korea

This review is focused on the effect of nutritional intervention on de- affect inflammatory responses and oxidative stress leading to DOMS
layed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) that occurs after exercise. In reduction. However, other studies have reported that these nutritional
general, high force eccentric contractions and/or unaccustomed exer- interventions have no effect on DOMS. It is suggested that intake of
cise result in DOMS attributed to reduction in performance such as proper nutrition intervention can effectively reduce DOMS after exer-
muscle strength and range of motion (ROM) for both athletes and cise and quickly help an athlete return to exercise or training program.
non-athletes. Nutritional intervention is one of the preventive or thera- In addition, nutritional intervention may help both athletes and non-ath-
peutic ways to reduce DOMS. Previous research studies have suggest- letes who engage in physical therapy or rehabilitative programs after
ed the following nutrition intervention: caffeine, omega-3 fatty acids, surgery or any injurious events.
taurine, polyphenols, and so on. Nutritional intervention with these nu-
trients before and after exercise was reported to be effective in reduc- Keywords: Delayed onset muscle soreness, Nutritional intervention, In-
ing DOMS. These nutritional interventions have also been reported to flammatory response, Oxidative stress, Eccentric exercise

INTRODUCTION ly, and many studies have reported on nutrition interventions to

reduce DOMS. Commonly known nutritional interventions in-
It is commonly accepted that delayed onset muscle soreness clude caffeine, omega-3 fatty acids, taurine, and polyphenols (da
(DOMS) occurs when a person is repeatedly exposed to high eccen- Silva et al., 2014; Hurley et al., 2013; Tartibian et al., 2009; Trom-
tric muscle contractions or unaccustomed exercise (Clarkson and bold et al., 2011). The purpose of this review is to provide guide-
Hubal, 2002). In general, DOMS continues to increase after exer- lines and information about DOMS to the public, athletes, and
cise and peaks between 24 and 48 h after exercise (Armstrong, coaches in the practical field so that they can carefully select nutri-
1990; Connolly et al., 2003). Even though the exact cause of tional intervention.
DOMS remains unclear, several studies have suggested that DOMS
is triggered by a sequence of various biochemical changes after ETIOLOGY OF DOMS
muscle damage rather than a single event of damage (Armstrong
et al., 1984; Close et al., 2005; Smith et al., 1991). The reasons behind DOMS have been a steady interest for many
DOMS is the main cause of reduced exercise performance in- sports scientists for a long time. Although several factors includ-
cluding muscle strength and range of motion for both athletes and ing lactic acid, connective tissue damage surrounding muscles,
non-athletes, and it also brings continual psychological discomfort muscle temperature, muscle spasm, inflammatory responses, free
(Chen et al., 2007; McKune et al., 2012; Serinken et al., 2013). radicals, and nitric oxides have been suggested for causing DOMS,
Therefore, there is a need to distribute information on how to re- there is no clear explanation (Close et al., 2005; Radak et al., 2012).
duce DOMS. Ways to reduce DOMS have been studied extensive- Previous literatures have speculated that the cause of DOMS is

*Corresponding author: Joohyung Lee This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons At-
College of Physical Education, Kookmin University, 77 Jeongneung-ro, tribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/)
Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-702, Korea which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any
medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Tel: +82-2-910-4782, Fax: +82-2-910-4789, E-mail: jolee@kookmin.ac.kr
Received: December 8, 2014 / Accepted: December 17, 2014

Copyright © 2014 Korean Society of Exercise Rehabilitation 349 http://www.e-jer.org pISSN 2288-176X
eISSN 2288-1778
Kim J, et al. • DOMS and nutritional intervention

due to structural muscle damages and perturbation of calcium ho- the cell membrane (Connolly et al., 2003). By the time inflamma-
meostasis or acute inflammatory responses to exercise (Armstrong tory cells are activated in the damaged muscle, muscle swelling is
et al., 1984; Smith et al., 1991). Thus, DOMS may occur with occurred by various exudates resulting in increased intramuscular
numerous complex factors combined after exercise-induced mus- pressure and sensitivity of type III & IV afferent fibers. When
cle damage. By gathering the results from previous studies, DOMS these stimuli reach medulla and cerebral cortex through spinal
is found to be caused by exercise-induced muscle damage. Inflam- cord, muscle soreness is perceived (Cheung et al., 2003). A possi-
matory responses will occur after morphological damage caused ble mechanism of DOMS is shown in Fig. 1.
by eccentric contractions (Clarkson and Hubal, 2002). Chemok- DOMS has recently been associated with nerve growth factor
ines (signaling proteins) are released in the damaged muscle, mak- (NGF). NGF is known to increase pain responses (Nie et al., 2009),
ing inflammatory cells such as neutrophil and macrophages more and NGF secreted by inflammatory responses can stimulate noci-
active (Tidball, 2011). Due to the accumulation of inflammatory ceptors (Lewin et al., 1993; Turrini et al., 2002). In an animal
cells in the damaged site, the levels of bradykinin, leukotrienes and model, lengthening muscle resulted in increased mRNA levels of
prostaglandins are concomitantly increased (Connolly et al., NGF (Murase et al., 2010). Similarly, in a human study, when
2003). When bradykinin reacts with B2 receptor, it can activate NGF was injected into trapezius muscle, muscle soreness was
phospholipase. This change isolates calcium ions in the cell and higher in NGF injection compared to saline injection following
abnormally increases calcium levels in the cell membrane by open- eccentric contractions (Nie et al., 2009).
ing ion channels, leading to secretion of neurotransmitters such as
substance P, which stimulates the production of arachidonic acids DOMS AND NUTRITIONAL INTERVENTION
(Murase et al., 2010; Taguchi et al., 2005). Due to arachidonic ac-
ids, the levels of prostaglandins and leukotrienes are also increased. Caffeine
Prostaglandins and bradykinin are known to be potential sub- In general, caffeine is known to have glycogen sparing effect
strates of DOMS by direct interaction with type III & IV afferent during endurance events by promoting fat oxidation (Graham,
nerve fibers through pain receptors (nociceptor). On the other 2001). A recent study reported that caffeine has an effective nutri-
hand, leukotrienes increases vascular permeability resulting in ad- tional agent for reducing DOMS after exercise (Hurley et al.,
hesion of neutrophils to endothelial cells in the damaged site. In- 2013). A mechanism proposed for caffeine to reduce DOMS is
creased neutrophils undergo phagocytosis by respiratory burst ac- closely related to adenosine receptor. Caffeine can block adenosine
tivity releasing free radicals which may induce further damage of receptor because it acts as an adenosine antagonist. The blocking

Eccentric muscle contraction

Secondary damage
Primary damage Chemokine - inflammatory responses
- morphological change
(neutrophil, macrophage)

↑Respiratory burst & oxidative stress

↑Nerve growth factor

↑Bradykinin, prostaglandin & leukotriene

↑Type III & IV afferent fiber sensitivity

↑Swelling DOMS
↑Intramuscular pressure

Fig. 1. A possi­ble mechanism of DOMS.

350 http://www.e-jer.org http://dx.doi.org/10.12965/jer.140179

Kim J, et al. • DOMS and nutritional intervention

effect on adenosine receptor may reduce DOMS by deactivating Although several studies measured oxidative stress markers to
the central nervous system (CNS, Hurley et al., 2013; Maridakis elucidate the cause of reducing DOMS by omega-3 fatty acid, the
et al., 2007). results from those studies are still controversial. Lenn et al. (2002)
A recent study demonstrated the effect of caffeine on DOMS. In reported that 1.8 g of omega-3 fatty acid ingestion for 30 days
this experiment, healthy males (n=9), who performed a bout of bi- among 22 subjects did not significantly reduce DOMS and malond-
ceps brachii exercise on a preacher curl bench, ingested 5 mg per ialdehyde (MDA) level after exercise. In contrast, Gray et al.
body weight of caffeine 1 h before and 24 h after exercise for 4 days. (2014) reported that 3 g of omega-3 fatty acid ingestion for 6
As a result, DOMS was significantly reduced between 2 and 3 days weeks significantly reduced thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance
after exercise in caffeine ingested group compared to the placebo (TBARS), a marker for lipid peroxidation, compared to the place-
group (Hurley et al., 2013). Other study reported positive effect of bo group, but there was no difference in DOMS between the
caffeine on DOMS reduction in healthy females (n=9) who per- groups. Therefore, it is suggested that intake of omega-3 fatty acid
formed 64 eccentric contractions of quadriceps muscle and ingested is associated more with inflammatory response than oxidative
5 mg per body weight of caffeine 24 and 48 h after exercise (Mari- stress for reducing DOMS.
dakis et al., 2007). It is suggested that caffeine intake with 5 mg
per body weight would reduce DOMS after exercise. Taurine
Taurine is an organic acid found in skeletal muscle and has many
Omega-3 fatty acid biological functions such as membrane stabilization, antioxidant
Omega-3 fatty acid is one of the essential fatty acids rich in fish capacity, osmoregulation and calcium homeostasis regulation
oils containing eicosanoids such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and (Schaffer et al., 2010). Several studies recently demonstrated the ef-
docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Eicosanoids have been reported to fect of taurine on DOMS although the exact mechanism is not elu-
regulate inflammatory response (Jouris et al., 2011). Ingestion of cidated (da Silva et al., 2014; Ra et al., 2013).
omega-3 fatty acid can increase EPA and DHA levels which in turn da Silva et al. (2014) reported that 50 mg of taurine ingestion
decreased synthesis of other eicosanoids including thromboxane, by healthy males (n=21) for 21 days (14 days before and 7 days af-
leukotriene, and prostaglandin associated with inflammatory re- ter eccentric exercise) showed significant reduction in DOMS and
sponse. Phillips et al. (2003) reported that nutritional intervention oxidative stress markers after exercise, yet no effect on inflammato-
with DHA reduced exercise-induced inflammatory response. ry response. Another study examined the combined ingestion with
Therefore, it is assumed that intake of omega-3 fatty acid results in taurine (2.0 g) and branched-chain amino acid (BCAA, 3.2 g)
anti-inflammatory response to exercise which may reduce DOMS three times a day for 18 days by 36 healthy males; it resulted in
(Jouris et al., 2011; Tartibian et al., 2009). significant reduction in DOMS and oxidative stress marker com-
Several studies reported positive effect of omega-3 fatty acid on pared to the control group (Ra et al., 2013). Therefore, both tau-
DOMS. Tartibian et al. (2011) demonstrated that 1.8 g of ome- rine only ingestion and combined intake of taurine and BCAA are
ga-3 fatty acid ingestion by healthy males (n=45) reduced pro-in- suggested to reduce DOMS following high force eccentric exercise.
flammatory factors such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), prostaglandin E2 A possible explanation for reducing DOMS by taurine may be re-
(PGE2), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) following eccentric lated to the attenuated oxidative stress shown in both studies. The
exercise. Lembke et al. (2014) reported that 2.7 g of omega-3 fatty evidence was ascertained by an animal model in which 300 mg per
acid ingestion for 30 days could reduce DOMS and C-reactive pro- body weight of taurine for 15 days significantly reduced superox-
tein (CRP) following eccentric contractions compared to sunflower ide radical production after exercise (Silva et al., 2011).
oil ingestion. Similar studies also showed that intake of omega-3
fatty acid was effective on DOMS. A study with 1.8 g of omega-3 Polyphenol
fatty acid ingestion among 27 males demonstrated reduced DOMS Polyphenol is a component of phytochemicals found in many
following eccentric exercise (Tartibian et al., 2009). In addition, 3 plants (Malaguti et al., 2013). The major biological functions of
males and 8 females ingested 3 g of omega-3 fatty acid for 7 days polyphenol are antioxidant capacity and anti-inflammation. Spe-
and DOMS was significantly reduced following eccentric exercise cific components of polyphenol such as anthocyanins and flavo-
(Jouris et al., 2011). Therefore, 1.8-3 g of omega-3 fatty acid inges- noids are known to serve antioxidant and anti-inflammatory ac-
tion may be effective on reducing DOMS after exercise. tivities (Kuehl et al., 2010). According to the previous studies, a

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Kim J, et al. • DOMS and nutritional intervention

potential mechanism for reducing DOMS by ingestion with poly- tannins extracted from pomegranate two times a day for 9 days
phenol is its action on membrane stability and reduced lipid per- showed significant reduction in DOMS compared to the placebo
oxidation by inhibiting peroxyl radical activation (Jówko et al., group 2 h after eccentric exercise; however, there was no significant
2011). In addition, both animal and human studies demonstrated difference between the groups from 24 to 96 h after exercise. In con-
the anti-inflammatory effect of polyphenol in exercise-induced trast, the same investigators compared 250 mL of pomegranate juice
muscle damage model (Davis et al., 2009; Howatson et al., 2010). ingestion two times a day for 15 days between arm and leg eccentric
Among many nutritional interventions rich in polyphenol, pome- exercise. As a result, DOMS was significantly reduced after arm exer-
granate, cherries, and blueberries have been examined in the fol- cise in pomegranate juice supplement group compared to the place-
lowing studies (Connolly et al., 2006; McLeay et al., 2012; Trom- bo group, but there was no difference in DOMS after leg exercise be-
bold et al., 2010, 2011) tween the groups (Trombold et al., 2011).
Trombold et al. (2010) reported that intake of 500 mL of ellagi- Ingestion of cherry juice has been effective on reducing DOMS.

Table 1. Effect of caffeine, omega-3 fatty acids, taurine, and polyphenol on DOMS
Supplement Researcher Subject Exercise Intervention Main outcome
Caffeine Maridakis et al., College-aged 64 repetitions of eccentric 5 mg/kg/day, 24 and 48 h ↓DOMS= MVC
(2007) females (n= 9) quadriceps exercise after exercise
Hurley et al., Healthy, trained 4 sets, 10 repetitions of 5 mg/kg/day, 1 h before and ↓DOMS= CK↑Total repetitions
(2013) males (n= 9) eccentric biceps curls 4 days after exercise
Omega-3 fatty acids Lenn et al., Healthy males 50 repetitions of eccentric 1.8 g/kg/day, 30 days before = DOMS= Strength= RANG
(2002) (n= 13) and biceps curls exercise = Circumference= CK= Cortisol
females (n= 9) = MDA= IL-6= TNF-α= Iron
Tartibian et al., Healthy 40 min of bench stepping 1.8 g/day, 30 days before and ↓DOMS↑ROM↓Thigh
(2009) males (n= 27) during 48 h after exercise circumference
Tartibian et al., Untrained males 40 min of bench stepping 1.8 g/day, 30 days before and ↓CK↓Mb↓LDH↓PGE2↓IL-6↓TNF-α
(2011) (n= 45) during 48 h after exercise
Jouris et al., Healthy males (n= 3) 2 sets, until fatigue of eccentric 3 g/day, 7 days before exercise ↓DOMS↓Arm circumference
(2011) and females (n= 8) biceps curls = Arm volume= Skin temperature
Lembke et al., Healthy males and 2 sets, 30 repetitions of 2.7 g/day, 30 days before exercise ↓DOMS= CK↓CRP↓Lactate
(2014) females (n= 69) eccentric biceps curls = Extension= Torque↑QOL↑POMS
Gray et al., (2014) Healthy males 200 repetitions of eccentric 3 g/day, 6 week before exercise = DOMS= MVC= CK= Protein carbonyl
(n= 20) knee exercise = DNA damage↓TBARS
Taurine Ra et al., (2013) Untrained male 6 sets, 5 repetitions of eccentric 2.0 g (taurine) + 3.2 g (BCAA), ↓DOMS↓Arm circumference
(n= 36) biceps curls 3 times/day, 2 weeks before and = CK↓LDH↓aldolase↓8-OHdG
4 days after exercise
da Silva et al., Healthy males 3 sets, until exhaustion of 50 mg/kg/day, 14 days before and ↓DOMS↑MVC↓LDH↓CK↓Xylenol
(2014) (n= 21) eccentric biceps curls 7 days after exercise ↓Protein carbonyl= SOD= catalase
= GPx= IL-1β= IL-10= TNF-α
Polyphenol Connolly et al., Male college students 2 sets, 20 repetitions of 355 mL, twice/day, 4 days ↓DOMS↑MVC
(cherry juice) (2006) (n= 14) eccentric biceps curls before and 4 days after exercise = Muscle tenderness= RANG
Polyphenol Trombold et al., Recreationally 2 sets, 20 repetitions of 500 mL, twice/day, 4 days ↓DOMS (only 2 h after exercise)
(ellagitannins) (2010) active males (n= 16) eccentric biceps curls before and 5 days after exercise ↑MVC= CK= Mb= IL-6= CRP
Polyphenol Trombold et al., Physically active 3 sets, 20 repetitions of eccentric 250 mL, twice/day, 7 days ↓DOMS (arm)= DOMS (leg)
(pomegranate juice) (2011) males (n= 17) biceps curls and 6 sets, 10 reps before and 8 days after exercise ↑MVC (arm)= MVC (leg)
of knee eccentric exercise
Polyphenol McLeay et al., Healthy females 3 sets, 100 repetitions of knee 200 g/day, 5 and 10 h prior = DOMS↑Peak isometric tension
(blueberry) (2012) (n= 10) eccentric exercise to and then immediately, 12 and = ROS-generating potential
36 h after exercise = Protein carbonyl
↑Antioxidant capacity= IL-6= CK
Equal sign, no significant difference;↓, significantly decreased responses;↑, significantly increased responses; IL-1β, interleukin-1β; IL-6, interleukin-6; IL-10, interleukin-10;
TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor-α; PGE2, prostaglandin E2; CRP, C-reactive protein; GPx, glutathione peroxidase; 8-OHdG, 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine; TBARS, thiobarbituric ac-
id-reactive substances; DOMS, delayed onset muscle soreness; SOD, superoxide dismutase; MDA, malonyldialdehyde; QOL, quality of life; POMS, profile of mood states
questionnaire; Other muscle damage markers; MVC, maximal isometric voluntary contraction; CK, creatine kinase; LDH, lactate dehydrogenase; Mb, myoglobin, ROM, range of
motion, RANG, relaxed arm angle.

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Kim J, et al. • DOMS and nutritional intervention

Connolly et al. (2006) reported that intake of 355 mL of cherry DOMS as well as IL-6 levels compared to the placebo group.
juice twice a day for 8 days could significantly reduce DOMS after Glutamine is one of the non-essential amino acids that may play
eccentric contractions of the elbow flexor muscle. However, anoth- a role in modulating immune cell activity (Rahmani Nia et al.,
er study with blueberry consumption did not demonstrate the re- 2013). The results from studies are still controversial. Street et al.
ducing effect on DOMS. McLeay et al. (2012) reported that intake (2011) reported that 0.3 g per body weight of glutamine ingestion
of 200 g of blueberry smoothie at 5 and 10 h before and immedi- for 4 days after eccentric exercise significantly reduced DOMS
ately after exercise, and 12 and 36 h after exercise did not produce compared to the placebo group. However, in the study, although
any difference in DOMS between blueberry consumption and pla- the authors concluded that reduced inflammatory response may
cebo groups after leg eccentric exercise. Therefore, the different ef- influence DOMS, they did not measure any inflammatory markers
fect of polyphenol on DOMS shown in the previous studies may be to confirm the hypothesis. In contrast, Rahmani-Nia et al. (2013)
attributed to the specific exercise (arm vs leg), dose used, and/or in- reported that 0.1 g per body weight of glutamine ingestion three
gestion periods. Effect of caffeine, omega-3 fatty acids, taurine, and times a week for 4 weeks did not show any difference in DOMS
polyphenol on DOMS is listed in Table 1. between groups.
Panax ginseng has been a candidate to reduce DOMS although
Other nutritional interventions the exact mechanisms are not identified. Pumpa et al. (2013) re-
There are several nutritional interventions to be examined in- ported that 4 g of panax ginseng capsule ingestion 1 h before and
cluding allicin, glutamine, panax ginseng, and lyprinol. It is well 4 days after downhill running among trained males (n=20) re-
known that allicin rich in garlic has anti-inflammatory and antiox- duced DOMS at 96 h after exercise compared to the placebo
idant capacities. Allicin can inhibit the expression of adhesion mol- group, but the difference was not pronounced as in other nutrition-
ecule-1 which is known to play a critical role in inflammatory cell al intervention. Rather panax ginseng supplement group had a
activation, and down-regulate several proteins related to inflamma- higher IL-6 and TNF-α levels at 24 h after exercise than the place-
tory response or T-cells (Sela et al., 2004; Son et al., 2006). Also, bo group, and there was no difference in CRP levels between the
allicin has an antioxidant capacity by preventing lipid peroxidation groups. Several studies suggested that ingestion of ginseng may re-
and scavenging hydroxyl radicals (Xiao & Parkin, 2002). Su et al. duce inflammatory response, but these were not reported with ex-
(2008) reported that 80 mg of allicin capsule ingestion daily from ercise (Jhun et al., 2014; Wei et al., 2014).
2 weeks before exercise to 2 days after exercise significantly reduced Another candidate nutritional intervention for reducing DOMS

Table 2. Effect of other nutritional intervention on DOMS

Supplement Researcher Subject Exercise Intervention Main outcome
Allicin Su et al., (2008) Well-trained athletes Downhill treadmill running, 80 mg/day, 2 weeks before ↓DOMS↓CK↓CK-MM
(n= 16, male= 8, female= 8) -10%, until exhaustion and 2 days after exercise ↓LDH↓IL-6= SOD
↑TAC
Glutamine Street et al., (2011) Physically active males 100 drop jump 0.3 g/kg, 4 days after exercise ↓DOMS↑Peak torque
(n= 15) = CK
Rahmani Nia et al., (2013) Healthy males (n= 17) 6 sets, exhaustion leg 0.1 g/kg, 3 times/week for = DOMS= EMG activity
eccentric exercise 4 weeks = ROM
Panax notoginseng Pumpa et al., (2013) Well-trained males (n= 20) Downhill treadmill running, 4 g/day, 1 h before and ↓DOMS (minimal effect)
-10%, 5 bouts of 8 min 4 days after exercise ↑Squat jump
= CK= Mb= IL-1↓IL-6
↓TNF-α= CRP
Lyprinol Pumpa et al., (2011) Well-trained males (n= 20) Downhill treadmill running, 200 mg/day, 8 weeks before = DOMS
-10%, 5 bouts of 8 min and 5 days after exercise = Counter movement jump
= Squat jump= CK= Mb
= IL-1= IL-6= IL-10
= TNF-α= CRP
Equal sign, no significant difference; ↓, significantly decreased responses; ↑, significantly increased responses; IL-1, interleukin-1; IL-6, interleukin-6; IL-10, interleukin-10;
TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor-α, CRP, C-reactive protein, DOMS, delayed onset muscle soreness, SOD, superoxide dismutase, TAC, total antioxidative capacity, Other muscle
damage markers; MVC, maximal isometric voluntary contraction, CK, creatine kinase, CK-MM, muscle-specific creatine kinase, LDH, lactate dehydrogenase; Mb, myoglobin;
ROM, range of motion.

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Kim J, et al. • DOMS and nutritional intervention

is lyprionol, extracted from New Zealand green-lipped mussel Close GL, Ashton T, McArdle A, MacLaren DP. The emerging role of free
(Sinclair et al., 2000). Similar to omega-3 fatty acid, lyprinol is radicals in delayed onset muscle soreness and contraction-induced
abundant in EPA and DHA. Additionally, it down-regulates lip- muscle injury. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2005;
oxygenase and cyclooxygenase-2 which are responsible for subse- 142:257-266.
quent synthesis of leukotrienes and prostaglandins, facilitating fac- Connolly DA, Sayers SE, McHugh MP. Treatment and prevention of de-
tors for inflammation and thus serves as anti-inflammatory action layed onset muscle soreness. J Strength Cond Res 2003;17:197-208.
(Halpern, 2000). However, a study conducted by Pumpa et al. da Silva LA, Tromm CB, Bom KF, Mariano I, Pozzi B, da Rosa GL, Tuon T,
(2011) did not show any reducing effect on DOMS with 200 mg da Luz G, Vuolo F, Petronilho F, Cassiano W, De Souza CT, Pinho RA.
of lyprinol ingestion daily from 8 weeks before to 96 h after down- Effects of taurine supplementation following eccentric exercise in
hill running. Effect of other nutritional intervention on DOMS is young adults. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab 2014;39:101-104.
listed Table 2. Davis JM, Murphy EA, Carmichael MD, Zielinski MR, Groschwitz CM,
Brown AS, Gangemi JD, Ghaffar A, Mayer EP. Curcumin effects on in-
CONCLUSIONS flammation and performance recovery following eccentric exercise-in-
duced muscle damage. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol
Delayed-onset muscle soreness that occurs after exercise-induced 2007;292:2168-2173.
muscle damage contributes to the reduction in exercise perfor- Graham TE. Caffeine, coffee and ephedrine: impact on exercise perfor-
mance as well as psychological complaints. In this review, several mance and metabolism. Can J Appl Physiol 2001;26:103-119.
nutritional interventions were discussed to prevent or treat DOMS. Gray P, Chappell A, Jenkinson AM, Thies F, Gray SR. Fish oil supplemen-
Many studies have examined the effect of caffeine, omega-3 fatty tation reduces markers of oxidative stress but not muscle soreness af-
acid, taurine, and polyphenol on DOMS, while minor interven- ter eccentric exercise. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 2014;24:206-214.
tions with allicin, glutamine, panax ginseng, and lyprinol did not Halpern GM. Anti-inflammatory effects of a stabilized lipid extract of
report consistent data. Most of the nutritional interventions are Perna canaliculus (Lyprinol). Allerg Immunol (Paris) 2000;32:272-278.
closely related to inflammatory response and antioxidant capacity Howatson G, McHugh MP, Hill JA, Brouner J, Jewell AP, van Someren
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factors including study design, dose used, ingestion period, and of recovery following marathon running. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2010;
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CONFLICT OF INEREST Jhun J, Lee J, Byun JK, Kim EK, Woo JW, Lee JH, Kwok SK, Ju JH, Park KS,
Kim HY, Park SH, Cho ML. Red ginseng extract ameliorates autoim-
No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was re- mune arthritis via regulation of STAT3 pathway, Th17/Treg balance,
ported. and osteoclastogenesis in mice and human. Mediators Inflamm 2014;
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