Comparing Five-day Curcumin and Glutamine Consumption and Simultaneous Consumption of both Nutrients on Muscle Damage Indices after Eccentric Resistance Exercise

The efficacy of glutamine and Curcumin consumption and their synergistic effect on muscle damage recovery over five days is not clear yet. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of these two supplements and their synergistic effect on serum markers of muscle damage and muscular pain perception after an eccentric exercise session.

Forty non-athlete young men were randomly divided into four groups. Each group received a supplement or placebo for five days, group 1: glutamine [Gln 0.1 gr⁄(Kg/day)], group 2: curcumin (Cur 1000  mg/day), Group 3: glutamine [Gln 0.1 gr⁄(Kg/day)] + curcumin (Cur 1000  mg/day) and group 4: maltodextrin [Pla 0.1  gr⁄(Kg/day)] as placebo. The last supplement was taken 8 hours before eccentric exercise. Measurements were taken before the resistance exercise and, 24 and 48 hours after. Serum Creatine Kinase (CK) and Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) were measured using photometric method and muscle pain measured using standard pain scale. The resistance exercise included leg press with 70% of 1RM.

There was a significant decrease in serum CK and LDH and muscle soreness in curcumin group and glutamine + curcumin group compared to the placebo group at all times (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in glutamine group compared to the placebo group, and glutamine + curcumin group had no significant difference compared to the curcumin group.

According to the results of this study, it seems that consumption of curcumin for five days can decrease some of the indices of muscle damage and also muscle pain after an eccentric exercise, but consumption of glutamine along with curcumin had no significant effect on muscle damage indices compared to the curcumin only. Therefore, these nutrients have no synergistic effect.