Taurine Supplementation Reduces Eccentric Exercise-Induced Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness in Young Men

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to clarify the effects of taurine supplementation on delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and muscle damage after high-intensity eccentric exercise (ECC) in healthy young men. Twenty-nine healthy young men were recruited and randomly assigned to receive either placebo (n = 14) or taurine supplementation (n = 15) in a double-blind manner. Participants ingested either 2.0 g of placebo or taurine supplement three times a day for 2 weeks before and 3 days after high-intensity ECC. Two weeks after starting supplementation, participants performed two sets of unilateral maximal-effort ECC of the elbow flexors on a Biodex isokinetic dynamometer. Each set consisted of 20 contractions with each contraction lasting 3 s and repeated every 9 s, and a 4 min period of rest in between sets. DOMS (evaluated by the visual analogue scale), upper arm circumference (CIR), elbow range of motion (ROM), and parameters of muscle damage including serum myoglobin (Mb) and creatine kinase (CK) levels, were measured before exercise and for 4 days after ECC. The severity of DOMS 2 days after ECC was significantly less in the taurine group than in the placebo group. The area under the curve for DOMS was also significantly smaller in the taurine group. However, taurine supplementation did not affect muscle damage (CIR, ROM, and serum Mb level and CK activity) after ECC. These results suggest that taurine supplementation effectively decreases DOMS after high-intensity ECC in young healthy men.