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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Physiol.
Sec. Exercise Physiology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fphys.2024.1426872

Effect of a Honey-Sweetened Beverage on Muscle Soreness and Recovery of Performance after Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage in Strength-Trained Females

Provisionally accepted
Hadis Hemmati Hadis Hemmati 1Walaa J. Alkasasbeh Walaa J. Alkasasbeh 2Mohammad Hemmatinafar Mohammad Hemmatinafar 1*Mohsen Salesi Mohsen Salesi 1Sepideh Pirmohammadi Sepideh Pirmohammadi 1Babak Imanian Babak Imanian 1Rasoul Rezaei Rasoul Rezaei 1
  • 1 Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
  • 2 Physical and Health Education, Al-Ahliyya Amman University, Amman, Jordan

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: This study explores a novel approach to mitigating delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS), a common issue among strength-trained females. By investigating the potential of a honey-sweetened beverage, which contains anti-inflammatory properties, we aim to enhance muscle recovery after exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD).Method: A randomized, cross-over, placebo-controlled, and double-blinded study was conducted with sixteen female strength athletes. Firstly, the baseline measurements were recorded, and participants were randomly divided into two conditions: honey-sweetened beverage (HSB; 70 grams of honey in 250 ml water with a concentration of 28%) and placebo (PLA; 250 ml of water with 70 grams of artificial sweetener). The HSB and PLA were consumed 90 minutes before the EIMD started (200 vertical jumps with 10% body-weighted vests). Recovery monitoring of performance indicators and DOMS was performed after EIMD. The results of wall-sit, V sit and reach (VSFT), vertical jump height (VJH), pressure pain threshold (PPT), and one repetition maximum (IRM) tests were recorded 48 hours after EIMD. Also, DOMS was recorded using the visual analog scale (VAS) before the start of the test and immediately, 12, 24, and 48 hours after EIMD. A one-week interval was considered a washout period for each condition. The collected data were analyzed by repeated measures of ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc test and dependent t-test at P≤0.05 level.Results: Compared to PLA, HSB ingestion improves wall-sit performance (p=0.003), 1RM (p=0.019), and RPE (p=0.003) after EIMD. However, no significant differences were observed between BL, PLA, and HSB in VJH (p=0.384), VSFT (p=0.840), and PPT (p=0.151) after EIMD. Furthermore, HSB, compared to PLA, considerably decreased the values of DOMS immediately, 12, 24, and 48 hours after EIMD (p˂0.05).Our findings illustrated that ingesting HSB in strength-trained females can be a helpful strategy for improving recovery indicators such as muscle strength, endurance, and muscle soreness after EIMD.

    Keywords: Honey-sweetened beverage, DOMS, Recovery, female athletes, Strength performance

    Received: 02 May 2024; Accepted: 05 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Hemmati, Alkasasbeh, Hemmatinafar, Salesi, Pirmohammadi, Imanian and Rezaei. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Mohammad Hemmatinafar, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.