Research summary · Nutrition and energy
Plant foods and recovery: soreness is not performance
A narrative synthesis examines whether plant foods and food-based supplements help people recover after exercise.
- Publication year
- 2026
- First published online
- Publication type
- Systematic review of human intervention trials
- Journal
- Nutrients
- Population / context
- Multiple sports · Physically active people
What the publication reports
Across 36 intervention studies, some products reduced muscle soreness over 24–72 hours. Improvements in muscle function, later performance and biochemical markers were inconsistent.
Limits and interpretation
Different products, doses and exercise protocols prevented pooling. Only 11 of 35 randomized trials had low risk of bias; the nonrandomized study had serious risk. The review cannot establish a preferred product or dose.
Read the source
Consult the original record for the full author list, methods, references, funding and competing-interest disclosures.
Plant-Derived Whole Foods and Food-Based Supplements on Post-Exercise Recovery in Physically Active Individuals: A Systematic Review of Human Intervention Trials
Original publication / indexed recordPMID: 42797032DOI: 10.3390/nu18183049Full text at the sourceReader discussion
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