title: Pomegranate Supplementation Accelerates Recovery of Muscle Damage and Soreness and Inflammatory Markers after a Weightlifting Training Session.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of natural Pomegranate juice supplementation on performance and acute and delayed responses of muscle soreness and biomarkers of muscle damage after a weightlifting training session.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nine elite weightlifters (21±0.5 years) performed two Olympic-Weightlifting-sessions after either placebo (PLA) or natural pomegranate juice (POMj) supplementations. Heart rate, blood pressure and blood samples (hematological parameters, muscle damage and C-reactive protein (CRP)) were collected at rest, 3min and 48h after each session. Weightlifting performance, RPE, and DOMS were also assessed after each training session.
  
  
  RESULTS
  T-test showed higher performance (+8.30%) and lower RPE values (-4.37%) using POMj supplementation (p<0.05) in comparison with PLA. For the DOMS values, a significant improvement (13.4%) was shown only for the knee extensors (p<0.01) using the POMj. Compared to PLA condition, POMj attenuated the acute (i.e., 3min) increase of systolic blood pressure (SBP), HR, CK and LDH (p<0.05; -4.46%, -1.81%, -8.75%, -1.64%, respectively) and blunted the significant increase of ASAT, PAL and CRP (p>0.05). Additionally, during the 48h following the training session, POMj improved the recovery kinetic of SBP (p<0.01, 7.97%), CK (p<0.001, 11.34%), LDH (p<0.05, 7.30%) and ASAT (p<0.05, 6.77%). Indeed, the present study showed that 48h of recovery associated to natural POMj supplementation was sufficient to reach the resting values of the selected muscle damage markers after intensive training session.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Natural POMj seems to ameliorate the capacity to adhere to an intensive training program. Therefore, elite weightlifters are advised to use natural POMj during intensive training program and competition to accelerate muscle recovery.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02697903.
authors.affiliation: Research Unit: Education, Motricité, Sport et Santé, UR15JS01, High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia.|Institute of Sport Science, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Achraf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ammar
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biochemistry, CHU Habib Bourguiba, Sfax University, Sfax, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Mouna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Turki
authors.affiliation: Research Unit: Education, Motricité, Sport et Santé, UR15JS01, High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia.|High Institute of Sport and Physical Education, Sfax University, Sfax, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Hamdi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chtourou
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biochemistry, CHU Habib Bourguiba, Sfax University, Sfax, Tunisia.|Research Center on Sport and Movement (EA 2931), University of Paris Ouest La Defense, Nanterre, France.
authors.forename: Omar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hammouda
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Sfax University, Sfax, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Khaled
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Trabelsi
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Hematology, CHU Habib Bourguiba, Sfax, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Choumous
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kallel
authors.affiliation: Institute of Sport Science, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Osama
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Abdelkarim
authors.affiliation: Institute of Sport Science, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hoekelmann
authors.affiliation: Electrochemistry and Environment Laboratory, ENIS, Sfax University, Sfax, Tunisia.|High Institute of Biotechnology, Sfax University, Sfax, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bouaziz
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biochemistry, CHU Habib Bourguiba, Sfax University, Sfax, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Fatma
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ayadi
authors.affiliation: Research Center on Sport and Movement (EA 2931), University of Paris Ouest La Defense, Nanterre, France.
authors.forename: Tarak
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Driss
authors.affiliation: National Observatory of Sport, Tunis, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Nizar
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Souissi
mesh_terms: D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D054874:Athletic Performance; D001628:Beverages / Q000032:analysis; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D003402:Creatine Kinase / Q000097:blood; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D006801:Humans; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000097:blood; D029561:Lythraceae / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D063806:Myalgia / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D010636:Phenols / Q000032:analysis; D015990:Placebo Effect; D013053:Spectrophotometry; D014891:Weight Lifting; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D010636:Phenols; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D003402:Creatine Kinase