Trial reportEuropean journal of applied physiology2015
Curcumin supplementation likely attenuates delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
Trial report in European journal of applied physiology, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 69 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
69 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 147 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Effects of polyphenol-rich interventions on the time-course of muscle recovery and athletic performance following exercise-induced muscle damage: a three-level meta-analysis.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Pooled it
- Evaluation of curcumin intake in reducing exercise-induced muscle damage in athletes: a systematic review.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2024Pooled it
- Pooled it
- The effect of curcumin supplementation on functional strength outcomes and markers of exercise-induced muscle damage: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Nutrition and health · 2024Pooled it
- Meta-analysis of the effect of curcumin supplementation on skeletal muscle damage status.PloS one · 2024Pooled it
- Whether or Not the Effects ofNutrients · 2020Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Antioxidants for preventing and reducing muscle soreness after exercise.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2017Pooled it
- The Effects of a Phytochemical Supplement Blend on Markers of Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage: A Randomised Controlled Trial.Nutrients · 2026Trial
- A randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover clinical trial to evaluate the effect of a turmeric formulation on muscle soreness and function recovery in moderately active adults.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2025Trial
- The dose-response effects of hydrolyzed curcumin on recovery, inflammation, and oxidative stress following exercise-induced muscle damage in males.Physiological reports · 2025Trial
- Impact of curcumin supplementation on exercise performance and muscle damage after a soccer match: a double-blind placebo-controlled cross-over study.European journal of applied physiology · 2024Trial
- Evaluation of a preemptive intervention regimen with hesperidin methyl chalcone in delayed-onset muscle soreness in young adults: a randomized, double-blinded, and placebo-controlled trial study.European journal of applied physiology · 2023Trial
- Effects of turmeric extract supplementation on inflammation and muscle damage after a half-marathon race: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.European journal of applied physiology · 2020Trial
- Eight Weeks of a High Dose of Curcumin Supplementation May Attenuate Performance Decrements Following Muscle-Damaging Exercise.Nutrients · 2019Trial
- International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: effects of dietary antioxidants on exercise and sports performance.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2026Review
- A comprehensive review of the physiology and evidence base to guide the use of ergogenic and medical supplements for enhanced cycling performance.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2026Review
- Nutritional Strategies for Recovery-Adaptation Coupling After Exercise: From Muscle Damage to Performance Remodeling.Nutrients · 2026Review
- Antioxidants and Exercise: A Redox-Informed Framework for Training Adaptation, Performance, and Recovery.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
9 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionOral curcumin decreases inflammatory cytokines and increases muscle regeneration in mice. PURPOSE: To determine effects of curcumin on muscle damage, inflammation and delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) in humans.
methodSeventeen men completed a double-blind randomized-controlled crossover trial to estimate the effects of oral curcumin supplementation (2.5 g twice daily) versus placebo on single-leg jump performance and DOMS following unaccustomed heavy eccentric exercise. Curcumin or placebo was taken 2 d before to 3 d after eccentric single-leg press exercise, separated by 14-d washout. Measurements were made at baseline, and 0, 24 and 48-h post-exercise comprising: (a) limb pain (1-10 cm visual analogue scale; VAS), (b) muscle swelling, (c) single-leg jump height, and (d) serum markers of muscle damage and inflammation. Standardized magnitude-based inference was used to define outcomes.
resultsAt 24 and 48-h post-exercise, curcumin caused moderate-large reductions in pain during single-leg squat (VAS scale -1.4 to -1.7; 90 %CL: ±1.0), gluteal stretch (-1.0 to -1.9; ±0.9), squat jump (-1.5 to -1.1; ± 1.2) and small reductions in creatine kinase activity (-22-29 %; ±21-22 %). Associated with the pain reduction was a small increase in single-leg jump performance (15 %; 90 %CL ± 12 %). Curcumin increased interleukin-6 concentrations at 0-h (31 %; ±29 %) and 48-h (32 %; ±29 %) relative to baseline, but decreased IL-6 at 24-h relative to post-exercise (-20 %; ±18 %).
conclusionsOral curcumin likely reduces pain associated with DOMS with some evidence for enhanced recovery of muscle performance. Further study is required on mechanisms and translational effects on sport or vocational performance.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.