Can Anthocyanins Reduce Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness or Are We Barking Up the Wrong Tree?

Abstract

Exercise-induced muscular overload can trigger delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). DOMS is related to the indiscriminate use of analgesics and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs without proper guidance, decreased physical exercise adherence and degenerating sports performance, increased risk of injury, and reduced muscle strength and function. Dietary anthocyanins have been extensively studied as potential natural treatments for DOMS, but the indication, dosage, and form of use remain highly variable. Therefore, this review aims to synergize and present evidence relating to the effect of anthocyanins on DOMS in clinical studies. Notably, the results of anthocyanin supplementation for DOMS were found to be inconclusive. The use of protocols with lower anthocyanin doses yielded better results than those with high-dose supplements, suggesting that anthocyanin-rich foods are more accessible as therapeutic tools, leading to the conclusion that these foods could be used to prevent and treat DOMS. However, consumption protocols for this purpose are not yet well established, and the answer is dependent on the methodological quality of future studies.

Blueberry intake elevates post-exercise anti-inflammatory oxylipins: a randomized trial

“…This investigation and others have shown that diet-based interventions can influence the oxylipin response to exercise stress without effects on muscle soreness and damage or exercise performance 22 , 23 . Several review papers have concluded that increased intake of blueberries, anthocyanins, and polyphenols in general may have a small, variable, or null effect on mitigating exercise-induced muscle soreness, damage, and dysfunction 29 – 36 . Changes in muscle damage biomarkers such as creatine kinase and myoglobin following eccentric exercise are highly variable between individuals as confirmed in this study.…”

Blueberry Intake Elevates Post-Exercise Anti- inflammatory Oxylipins: A Randomized Trial

“…This investigation and others have shown that diet-based interventions can influence the oxylipin response to exercise stress without effects on muscle soreness and damage or exercise performance [22,23]. Several review papers have concluded that increased intake of blueberries, anthocyanins, and polyphenols in general may have a small, variable, or null effect on mitigating exercise-induced muscle soreness, damage, and dysfunction [29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36]. Lipid mediators generated from DHA and EPA have been hypothesized to enhance muscle regeneration by regulating the inflammatory response to muscle injury, but definitive evidence in exercise-based studies is lacking [20,37,38].…”

Physical Therapies for Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness: A Protocol for an Umbrella and Mapping Systematic Review with Meta-Meta-Analysis

“…The DOMS/EIMD phenomenon may lead to signs and symptoms which range from mild and negligible to severe pain and discomfort and impaired muscle performance capacities in elite and competitive sports [9], but may also be responsible for postural dysfunctions [10]. There are numerous approaches to both prevent and treat DOMS including non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) [6,9], as well as dietary [11,12], complementary and alternative medicines (including herbs) [13,14], or physiotherapy (PT) [15].…”

“…The DOMS/EIMD phenomenon may lead to signs and symptoms which range from mild and negligible to severe pain and discomfort and impaired muscle performance capacities in elite and competitive sports [9], but may also be responsible for postural dysfunctions [10]. There are numerous approaches to both prevent and treat DOMS including non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) [6,9], as well as dietary [11,12], complementary and alternative medicines (including herbs) [13,14], or physiotherapy (PT) [15]. With regards to the latter, those typically include (manual) massage, lymphatic drainage, heat or cold therapy (cryotherapy, ice/cooling, extreme cold), stretching, vibration, lowlevel laser therapy, low-intensity exercise, compression therapy, flossing, or taping, among others.…”