Pomergranate Juice and muscle damage

Ref

 Jou Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2026 Apr 21;23(1):2642149. doi: 10.1080/15502783.2026.2642149

Individual responses to pomegranate juice on recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage in collegiate male volleyball players

Gholamreza Rezaei a, Mohammad Hemmatinafar a, Mark ET Willems b,*, Dena Mastouri c, Babak Imanian a, Rasoul Rezaei a

Abstract

Background

Volleyball demands frequent explosive, stretch–shortening muscle actions that elevate the risk for exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) and delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Polyphenol-rich pomegranate juice (POMj) has been proposed to aid recovery, yet evidence in highly trained team-sport athletes is limited. This study investigated whether short-term POMj enhances functional and isokinetic recovery following an EIMD protocol in collegiate male volleyball players and identified individual responders using the smallest worthwhile change (SWC) method.