The Study
Effects of Acute Vitamin C plus Vitamin E Supplementation on Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage in Runners: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial
This study tried to see if taking vitamin pills before a run helps reduce muscle soreness and fatigue. It gave some runners vitamins and others fake pills, then compared how they felt and performed. But because only 18 people were in the study, we can't be sure if the vitamins really do nothing—or if the study was just too small to notice a small effect.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Scientists gave some runners special vitamin pills before a tough run and others fake pills to see if the vitamins helped them feel less sore or recover faster.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 580 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Even though the vitamins didn't help runners recover faster or feel less sore, they also didn't hurt performance — so they're harmless but useless for recovery in this group.
- 2Both groups had the same muscle damage (CK levels), soreness, and jump performance after 24 hours.
- 3The vitamins didn't make any difference.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Nutrients
Year
2022
Authors
María Martínez-Ferrán, V. Cuadrado-Peñafiel, Juan Manuel Sánchez-Andreo, Marta Villar-Lucas, M. Castellanos-Montealegre, Agustín Rubio-Martín, Carlos Romero-Morales, S. Casla-Barrio, H. Pareja-Galeano
Related Content
Claims (6)
Taking high doses of vitamin C and E supplements reduces the body's physiological adaptations to exercise by blocking the signaling triggered by oxidative stress.
Taking 1000 mg of vitamin C and 235 mg of vitamin E before a long run does not lower the level of creatine kinase in the blood, which is a marker of muscle damage, in male runners aged 39–58 who regularly train for endurance events.
Taking vitamin C and E supplements right after running does not change how high a runner can jump or how stiff their muscles and tendons become after exercise.
Taking vitamin C and E supplements shortly before a long run does not change the level of lactate in the blood during the run in trained male runners aged 39–58.
Taking vitamin C and E supplements right after long-distance running does not change how high healthy male runners can jump during recovery.
Taking vitamin C and E supplements shortly before or after long-distance running does not reduce muscle soreness or the feeling of effort in trained male runners aged 39–58.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.