Turmeric and Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage and Oxinflammation
Condition: Muscular Injury
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The purpose of this study is to measure the effect of using a turmeric-based supplement for
      2-weeks on muscle damage and soreness that occur in the body after 90-minutes of exercise.
      Participants will first come to the human performance lab (HPL) for orientation and pre-study
      fitness tests including muscular fitness and body composition. Participants will be
      randomized to turmeric or placebo groups, and take 2 tablets of the supplements each day for
      the first two weeks. Participants will report back to the HPL on a Monday to engage in weight
      lifting and calisthenics for 90 minutes. Fitness tests (vertical jump, bench press, leg-back
      lift for strength, 30-second cycling sprint test) and blood samples will be given and
      collected before and after this exercise session. Participants will then come back to the HPL
      each morning, Tuesday through Friday, in the early morning to provide blood samples and
      retake the fitness tests. This study will entail seven HPL visits over a 3-week period.
    

Detailed description: 
      Orientation, Supplementation, and Basic Study Procedures (Visit #1): Participants will first
      come to the Human Performance Lab (600 Laureate Way, North Carolina Research Campus,
      Kannapolis, NC) for an orientation to study procedures. This will include a review of the
      consent form, completion of basic questionnaires, and an introduction to the eccentric muscle
      exercise bout and the strength/power performance testing protocol (about 1.5 hours) (visit
      #1). This will be followed by another lab session for pre-study measurements and sample
      collection (visit #2). Participants will be randomized to turmeric or placebo groups, and
      provided a 2-weeks supply of supplements (in supplement trays). Participants will consume 2
      tablets each day in the morning just prior to breakfast. The supplement and placebo tablets
      will look the same. The supplements will have codes. Participants and the staff will not know
      what are in the tablets until the study is over. The supplement is called "Turmeric Strength
      for Joint" and is sold by the study sponsor (MegaFood). For purposes of this study, the
      supplement will be called "turmeric". The ingredients are healthy and include turmeric root
      extract, black pepper extract, boswellia gum resin extract, devil's claw root extract, and
      ginger root. The turmeric supplement provides a minimum of 300 mg curcumin. Compliance to the
      supplement plan will be checked weekly through email correspondence from the Research
      Manager. A 3-day food record will be collected during the end of the 2-week supplementation
      period to assess the participants' background diet.

      The study will include 5 other lab visits during a one-week period starting on a Monday
      (visit #3), with morning visits at about 7:00 am on Tuesday through Friday (visits 4-7). At
      each of the 7 lab visits, participants will come to the lab at 7:00 am not having consumed
      food or beverages (other than water) for at least the previous 9 hours, and having abstained
      from vigorous exercise for at least the previous 24-48 hours. The Monday session will take
      about 2.5 hours (7:00 to 9:30 am), and the Tuesday through Friday sessions will take about
      30-45 minutes each. The total amount of time participants will be asked to volunteer for this
      study is about 8-9 hours at the performance lab. Seven blood samples will be collected and
      analyzed for various measures of muscle damage, inflammation, and oxidative stress. After
      each of the blood draws, participants will complete the Profile of Mood States (POMS)
      questionnaire to gauge mood, energy, and vitality. Participants will also provide a delayed
      onset of muscle soreness (DOMS) rating. Two urine samples will be collected (before and after
      the 2-week supplementary period) and analyzed for key metabolic markers of turmeric
      ingestion.

      Baseline Testing (Visit #2) Participants will come to the lab at 7:00 am in an overnight
      fasted state dressed in exercise clothes. Participants will provide a blood sample. A trained
      phlebotomist will collect a maximum of 35 ml blood (a little over 2 tablespoons).
      Participants will also provide a spot urine sample in a private location in the restroom.
      Participants will collect a mid-stream urine sample in a disposable urine cup. Height, body
      weight, and body composition will be measured in a private section of the lab. Bioelectrical
      impedance (BIA) using the seca BIA scale will be used to assess body composition (i.e., the
      percent of body weight that is fat tissue) and body weight. Participants will remove shoes
      and socks and stand with bare feet on the seca scale for about 7-10 seconds while grasping
      side rails with their hands. Percent body fat will also be measured using the BodPod.
      Participants will sit inside the BodPod with a tight-fitting swim suit for about 10 minutes
      while body fat is calculated.

      The Profile of Mood States (POMS) (short version, 40 items) is a rating scale to assess
      "right now" mood states, energy, and vitality. Participants will also provide a rating of
      delayed onset of muscle soreness (DOMS) using a 1-10 scale.

      Participants will perform some light exercises to warm up, followed by four muscle function
      tests: vertical jump, bench press, leg-back strength, and anaerobic power through the
      30-second Wingate test.

        1. Vertical jump: Participants will first stand erect with the feet flat on the floor and
           reach as high as possible with both arms and hands (standing reach height). Participants
           will then squat down and jump as high as possible with one arm and hand, and tap the
           measuring device on the Vertec vertical jump apparatus (jump height). This will be
           repeated three times, with the best score recorded as the difference between the jump
           and standing reach heights.

        2. Bench press to exhaustion: Participants will lie down supine on a bench, and with
           spotters standing on either side attempt to bench press a weighted bar equal to 50%
           (females) or 75% (males) body weight as many times as possible (to a metronome set at 60
           beats/min or 30 lifts/min). The bar must touch a foam block on the chest lightly in the
           down position, and the arms must be straight in the up position.

        3. Leg-Back Strength: Leg/lower back strength will be assessed with a dynamometer. With the
           legs slightly bent at the knee, participants will grasp a bar attached via a chain and a
           force measuring device with straight arms, and then lift up with maximal effort for
           several seconds. This will measure the isometric strength of both legs and back, and
           will be repeated three times.

        4. 30-Second Wingate Cycling Test: The Lode cycle ergometer will be adjusted to body weight
           (7 watts per kilogram), and then participants will sprint cycle at maximal speed for 30
           seconds. The peak power and average power will be recorded and adjusted to body mass.

      Testing Sequence, Day of Eccentric Muscle Exercise (Monday, Visit #3) and 4-Days Recovery
      (Tuesday through Friday) (Visits #4-7):

      Participants will come to the lab at 7:00 am in an overnight fasted state (i.e., no food or
      beverages other than water for at least the previous 9 hours). Participants will be weighed
      and then provide a blood sample. A spot urine sample will be collected on Monday.
      Participants will then complete the POMS questionnaire, and give a DOMS rating. The
      supplements will be consumed with water. Participants will perform some light exercises to
      warm up, followed by the four muscle function tests: vertical jump, bench press, leg-back
      strength, and anaerobic power through the 30-second Wingate test. Participants will take
      these performance tests before and after the 90-minute eccentric muscle exercise bout, and
      each of the following four mornings at the performance lab.

      After taking the four performance tests, participants will engage in 90-minutes of eccentric
      exercise that include 16 movements (calisthenics, resistance exercise, jumps, 2-3 sets, with
      rest intervals).

      Immediately following exercise, participants will provide a blood sample, complete the POMS
      questionnaire, and provide a DOMS muscle soreness rating. Participants will then take the
      four muscle function tests. Participants will return at 7:00 am in an overnight fasted state
      four days in a row (Tuesday through Friday) after Monday's eccentric exercise bout, and
      provide a blood sample, complete the POMS, provide DOMS ratings, and follow this with
      ingestion of the supplements. Following ingestion of the supplements, participants will take
      the four muscle function tests. During this week of testing and recovery, participants will
      engage in normal training and diet habits.
    

Intervention name(s): Turmeric Strength for Joint; Placebo
Intervention type(s): Dietary Supplement; Dietary Supplement
Intervention description(s): Turmeric-based tablets; Placebo tablets
Other intervention name(s): Turmeric; Placebo tablets
Intervention MeSH terms: Turmeric extract
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: Randomized, parallel group
Masking: Double (Participant, Investigator)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: turmeric; muscular strength; inflammation; exercise; oxidative stress