Influence of nutrition pattern on exercise performance, inflammation and muscle damage biomarkers in a non-athlete healthy young cohort.

Physical exercise induces muscle damage and inflammation, particularly in non-trained individuals, leading to reduced performance. This study explores the influence of dietary patterns on exercise outcomes and systemic physiological biomarkers in this population. This is an observational study complemented by prospective short-term follow-up to assess the influence of diet on exercise-induced inflammation and muscle damage. Recreationally active volunteers (45 females and 33 males) answered a food frequency questionnaire corrected by FETA. A step-exercise was performed until exhaustion and plasma samples were obtained before (basal) and 2 h and 48 h post-exercise. Muscle damage biomarkers (creatine kinase, CK; lactate dehydrogenase, LDH activities) were evaluated through commercial kits and spectrophotometry, and 8 cytokines were assessed by multiplex ELISA. Principal components analysis (PCA) was applied to cytokine to derive systemic inflammatory scores, and muscle damage biomarkers were standardized to comparable scales. Structural equation modeling was then used to evaluate the latent nutritional pattern and its associations with inflammation, muscle damage, and exercise performance. A dietary pattern characterized by higher intake of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates positively influenced physical performance through muscle mass. PCA evidenced 2 inflammation scores (PC1 and PC2), which explained most of cytokine´s variance with opposing correlations with nutrients. PC1 had a negative correlation with proteins, unsaturated fats, folates and vitamin D, while PC2 had positive correlations with simple sugars, saturated fats, insoluble fiber and folates. Exercise volume influenced early systemic inflammation but had no effect on CK or LDH. No sex differences, other than muscle mass, were detected in the population. In healthy young non-athlete population, nutrient-rich dietary patterns appear to enhance exercise performance through muscle mass in both sexes. Healthy fat intake is a relevant factor modulating these responses and plays a role in inflammation and recovery.