Sun, 24 Aug 2025 19:27:36 -0700WeeblyTue, 16 Jan 2018 22:25:05 GMThttp://www.p3physiotherapy.com.au/articles/antioxidants-for-preventing-and-reducing-muscle-soreness-after-exerciseMany of our athletes enquire about the potential benefits of antioxidants in preventing/reducing muscle soreness after exercise.
A well respected database for medical literature (Cochrane) has performed a systematic review (which is the highest level of evidence available) on this topic.
Their review covered randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials investigating the effects of all forms of antioxidant supplementation including specific antioxidant supplements (e.g. tablets, powders, concentrates) and antioxidant-enriched foods or diets on preventing or reducing delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Fifty randomised, placebo-controlled trials were deemed to be of sufficient quality to be included.
The authors concluded that there is moderate to low-quality evidence that high dose antioxidant supplementation does not result in a clinically relevant reduction of muscle soreness after exercise at up to 6 hours or at 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours after exercise.
Thus, based on the best current evidence, there is not a significant benefit in the use of antioxidants for preventing and reducing muscle soreness after exercise.
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