Pure Juice Supplementation: Its Effect on Muscle Recovery and Sports Performance

Abstract

Strenuous exercise causes increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), creating an imbalance between ROS and antioxidants. The reduced antioxidant defence leads to defective elimination of ROS and consequently, delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). DOMS due to exhaustive or prolonged exercise typically peaks between 24 h and 72 h after exercise results in soreness, inflammation, pain and decreased muscle function. As a result, muscle strength will be reduced progressively and this situation might be detrimental to one's athletic performance, especially amidst competition season. Therefore, supplementation to improve muscle recovery and sports performance has become a common practice among athletes. However, it is suggested to consume natural-based fruit-derived antioxidants as a more effective and safe nutritional strategy. Fruits containing a high amount of polyphenol protect muscle cells from excessive and harmful ROS due to their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant characteristics. To date, there are several expended studies on the consumption of supplements from various antioxidant-rich fruits to provide evidence on their effectiveness, giving better solutions and wider choices of supplementation to the athletes. Therefore, this review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of nutritional standpoint from previous literature on the effect of fruit juices supplementation on muscle recovery and sports performance.

Keywords: antioxidant; delayed-onset muscle soreness; exercise performance; fruit juice; sports nutrition.