Resveratrol

Resveratrol is a polyphenol found in many plant foods, such as grapes, berries, apples, plums and peanuts. This potent compound has been used in the prevention of cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome. In addition, resveratrol has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects. In animal models research has reported improvements in muscle strength (Dolinsky et al. 2012) and endurance, and a reduction in fatigue biochemical markers after exercise (Wu et al., 2013). Supplementation has been shown to minimize exercise-induced muscle damage (Baltaci et al., 2016). Now recent research published last month in Nutrients has demonstrated similar promising benefits in humans. Researchers reported resveratrol may improve muscle damage indexes (CK and LDH) and accelerate recovery after exercise and importantly without risk to liver or kidney function (Huang et al. 2021). While supplementation is typically a delicate science in terms of appropriate dosing, athletes may specifically benefit from incorporating of these nutrient-rich foods in their diets during heavy training phases…and the ‘winining’ isn’t necessary!