Research
Mixed
Antioxidant supplementation (Vitamin C, Co-enzyme Q10) does not improve recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage and may potentially delay recovery or worsen performance in some contexts.
Do not rely on antioxidant supplements like Vitamin C or CoQ10 to speed up your recovery after exercise. They do not improve recovery rates and may even slow it down or increase muscle damage in some cases.
ModerateRefutesMEDIUM confidence
The group receiving supplementation was no different from a placebo group in the rate of recovery... The players using supplementation were inferior to the control group on selected exercise performance tests, showed greater muscle damage and slower rates of recovery after the period of elevation in training load.
Why this rating
Based on specific studies (Thompson et al., Malm et al.) which show no benefit or potential harm.
Source
The use of recovery methods post‐exercise
Thomas Reilly et al. · Journal of Sports Sciences · 2005
DOI 10.1080/02640410400021302
narrative_reviewCited 245×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Carbohydrate-electrolyte drinks are superior to water alone for restoring fluid balance and endurance capacity post-exercise, particularly when fluid losses are significant.Good
- Post-exercise active warm-down (jogging and stretching) accelerates the recovery of neuromuscular performance (jumping, sprinting) and reduces muscle soreness compared to passive rest.Moderate
- Deep-water running (with buoyancy belt) is an effective recovery method for restoring muscle strength and reducing perceived soreness following plyometric exercise, though it does not prevent delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS).Moderate
Related findings · Mixed
- Bariatric surgery (VSG and RYGB) is the most effective and sustainable treatment for obesity, producing marked and sustained weight loss that non-surgical interventions cannot match.Strong
- Severely protein-deficient diets (2–3% energy) induce lean body mass loss and metabolic imbalance, whereas adequate protein intake (0.66 g/kg/d minimum) is a prerequisite for maintaining muscle, bone, and physiological function.Strong
- For patients with Class III obesity (BMI >39.9 kg/m2), metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) is significantly more effective than any currently approved medication, with BilioPancreatic Diversion (BPD) showing the highest estimated weight loss.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →