Evidence Hub

Quercetin Supplementation Improves Neuromuscular Function Recovery from Muscle Damage

Bazzucchi I, Patrizio F, Ceci R, Duranti G, Sabatini S, Sgrò P, Di Luigi L, Sacchetti M

Nutrients, 2020

Abstract

This study was aimed at investigating whether quercetin (Q) may improve the recovery of neuromuscular function and biochemical parameters in the 7 days following an eccentric exercise-induced muscle damage (EEIMD). Sixteen men (25.9 ± 3.3 y) ingested Q (1000 mg/day) or placebo (PLA) for 14 days following a double-blind crossover study design. A neuromuscular (NM) test was performed pre-post, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, 96 h and 7 days after an intense eccentric exercise. The force-velocity relationship of the elbow flexor muscles and their maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) were recorded simultaneously to the electromyographic signals (EMG). Pain, joint angle, arm circumference, plasma creatine kinase (CK) and lactate-dehydrogenase (LDH) were also assessed. The results showed that Q supplementation significantly attenuated the strength loss compared to PLA. During the recovery, force-velocity relationship and mean fibers conduction velocity (MFCV) persisted significantly less when participants consumed PLA rather than Q, especially at the highest angular velocities (p < 0.02). A greater increase in biomarkers of damage was also evident in PLA with respect to Q. Q supplementation for 14 days seems able to ameliorate the recovery of eccentric exercise-induced weakness, neuromuscular function impairment and biochemical parameters increase probably due to its strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant action.

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design.

How the five levels of evidence work. The level is assigned automatically from the abstract and can be wrong, so check the paper.

Read the paper

Related studies

Go deeper in Evidence Hub

Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.

Open this study Sign up free