The Purple Fruit that Reduces Muscle Soreness After Exercise

Muscle soreness after working out is a common problem - and it can make it a real challenge to get around for a few days. Its not uncommon to feel a little achy when you first start working out or when youve pushed yourself harder than usual. No one knows exactly what causes muscle soreness after exercise, but the consensus is that it comes from micro-tears in the muscles due to overuse. When these tiny muscle tears occur, it leads to inflammation and swelling - along with pain and stiffness that can last up to a week.

Is there any way to prevent soreness after working out, or at least, make it more bearable? A new study out of New Zealand shows that blueberries help to reduce damage to muscle fibers that comes from too much exercise. Researchers exposed stressed skeletal muscle fibers to extracts from a variety of fruits - including blueberries.

They found that when muscle fibers were exposed to blueberry extract they didnt experience the same oxidative stress and muscle damage thats normally seen with intense exercise. The response was dose dependent. The more blueberry extract the muscle fibers were exposed to, the less damage they sustained. In other words - the more blueberries - the better.

Why would blueberries reduce muscle damage and, possibly, soreness after a workout? Blueberries are a good source of polyphenols - natural chemicals that have antioxidant activity. Since overstressed muscles generate free radicals, exposing the muscle cells to polyphenols reduces the amount of damage they sustain - which decreases inflammation and after workout soreness.

Of course, this experiment was done on muscle cells in the laboratory - not live humans. More research is needed to see if the same effect occurs in the human body and how much blueberry extract is needed to offset this damage. Some small studies show that the polyphenols found in other fruits such as the pomegranate reduce muscle soreness after exercise and allow greater recovery of muscle strength after resistance training.

The bottom line? If you do a tough workout, start the morning with a bowl of blueberries. They may help to reduce muscle damage, while offering other health benefits as well. Look for these versatile and nutritious berries the next time youre at the Farmers market.

References:

http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Blueberries-may-protect-muscles-from-exercise-damage