Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32661771›Full record

ReviewEuropean journal of applied physiology2020

Nutritional interventions for reducing the signs and symptoms of exercise-induced muscle damage and accelerate recovery in athletes: current knowledge, practical application and future perspectives.

Tindaro Bongiovanni, Federico Genovesi, Monika Nemmer, Christopher Carling, Giampietro Alberti, Glyn Howatson

Registry-linked trialAbstract readReview
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in European journal of applied physiology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06511960 (Impact of Four Weeks of Astaxanthin Supplementation at Varied Doses on Muscle Pain, Muscle Damage Markers, and Total Antioxidant Status in Exercising Males), which is not on this map. Cited by 55 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
55citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

NCT06511960 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2023, after this paper: background citation

Impact of Four Weeks of Astaxanthin Supplementation at Varied Doses on Muscle Pain, Muscle Damage Markers, and Total Antioxidant Status in Exercising Males: A Randomized Controlled Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorHacettepe UniversityRan2023 to 2024Enrolled24ConditionsDietary SupplementsArmsAstaxanthin (12 mg/day) intervention, 36 mg/day astaxanthin intervention, Placebo
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

55 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  3. Effectiveness of Nitrate Intake on Recovery from Exercise-Related Fatigue: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022
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  15. Eccentric Exercise and Muscle Damage: An Introductory Guide.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2026
    Review
  16. Article
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  19. From Science to Dressing Room: Dietary Supplements for Elite Soccer Performance.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2025
    Review
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Tindaro BongiovanniDepartment of Health, Performance and Recovery, Parma Calcio 1913, Parma, Italy. tindaro.bongiovanni@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1411-1601
Federico GenovesiMedical Department Manchester City Football Club, Manchester, UK.
Monika NemmerNutrition Department Liverpool Football Club, Liverpool, UK.
Christopher CarlingCentre for Elite Performance, French Football Federation, 75015, Paris, France.
Giampietro AlbertiDepartment of Biomedical Sciences for Health, Università Degli Studi Di Milano, Milano, Italy.
Glyn HowatsonDepartment of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThis review provides an overview of the current knowledge of the nutritional strategies to treat the signs and symptoms related to EIMD. These strategies have been organized into the following sections based upon the quality and quantity of the scientific support available: (1) interventions with a good level of evidence; (2) interventions with some evidence and require more research; and (3) potential nutritional interventions with little to-no-evidence to support efficacy.

methodPubmed, EMBASE, Scopus and Web of Science were used. The search terms 'EIMD' and 'exercise-induced muscle damage' were individually concatenated with 'supplementation', 'athletes', 'recovery', 'adaptation', 'nutritional strategies', hormesis'.

resultSupplementation with tart cherries, beetroot, pomegranate, creatine monohydrate and vitamin D appear to provide a prophylactic effect in reducing EIMD. β-hydroxy β-methylbutyrate, and the ingestion of protein, BCAA and milk could represent promising strategies to manage EIMD. Other nutritional interventions were identified but offered limited effect in the treatment of EIMD; however, inconsistencies in the dose and frequency of interventions might account for the lack of consensus regarding their efficacy.

conclusionThere are clearly varying levels of evidence and practitioners should be mindful to refer to this evidence-base when prescribing to clients and athletes. One concern is the potential for these interventions to interfere with the exercise-recovery-adaptation continuum. Whilst there is no evidence that these interventions will blunt adaptation, it seems pragmatic to use a periodised approach to administering these strategies until data are in place to provide and evidence base on any interference effect on adaptation.

Indexed as

Adaptation, PhysiologicalAthletesExerciseHumansMuscle, SkeletalMuscular DiseasesNutritional StatusDamageMuscleNutritionRecoverySupplementation

Identifiers

PMID32661771

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

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.