{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,2]],"date-time":"2026-09-02T22:05:08Z","timestamp":1788386708412,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,26]],"date-time":"2025-02-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1740528000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Capsaicin, known for its antioxidant and antibacterial properties, may mitigate oxidative stress and inflammation associated with exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD). This study evaluates the efficacy of capsaicin supplementation in reducing delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and enhancing strength and power in collegiate male futsal players. Methods: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover design was used. Twelve male futsal players participated in three testing sessions: baseline (BL), followed by capsaicin (12 mg) or placebo (PLA), with a 7-day washout period. Participants consumed the supplement 45 min before completing an EIMD protocol of 200 plyometric jumps with a 10% body-weight vest. Metrics including vertical jump height (VJH), pressure pain threshold (PPT), thigh circumference (TCM), and isokinetic and isometric strengths were assessed 48 h post-EIMD. DOMS was measured using a visual analog scale (VAS) at baseline and 12, 24, and 48 h post-EIMD. Results: Capsaicin supplementation significantly improved VJH (p = 0.009), PPT (p = 0.004), and reduced TCM (p = 0.015) compared to baseline, with superior performance in PPT and TCM reduction (p &lt; 0.05). Capsaicin also significantly decreased VAS scores for DOMS immediately, 12, 24, and 48 h post-EIMD (p &lt; 0.001) compared to PLA and BL. No significant differences were found in isokinetic and isometric strength metrics (p &gt; 0.05). Conclusions: Acute capsaicin supplementation can mitigate DOMS and enhance performance markers such as VJH and PPT in collegiate futsal players. Its benefits suggest a viable nutritional strategy for recovery and performance optimization in high-intensity sports.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu17050813","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,27]],"date-time":"2025-02-27T08:04:44Z","timestamp":1740643484000},"page":"813","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":10,"title":["Capsaicin\u2019s Role in Mitigating Muscle Soreness and Enhancing Futsal Players\u2019 Recovery After Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Mina","family":"Rashki","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Sport Sciences, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Shiraz University, Shiraz 84334-71946, Iran"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7585-7592","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mohammad","family":"Hemmatinafar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Sport Sciences, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Shiraz University, Shiraz 84334-71946, Iran"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kousar","family":"Safari","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Sport Sciences, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Shiraz University, Shiraz 84334-71946, Iran"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Babak","family":"Imanian","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Sport Sciences, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Shiraz University, Shiraz 84334-71946, Iran"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rasoul","family":"Rezaei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Sport Sciences, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Shiraz University, Shiraz 84334-71946, Iran"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9563-9461","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maryam","family":"Koushkie Jahromi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Sport Sciences, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Shiraz University, Shiraz 84334-71946, Iran"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6572-5809","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Katsuhiko","family":"Suzuki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, 2-579-15 Mikajima, Tokorozawa 359-1192, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,26]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"179","DOI":"10.1007\/s00421-015-3245-2","article-title":"Muscle damage, inflammatory, immune and performance responses to three football games in 1 week in competitive male players","volume":"116","author":"Mohr","year":"2016","journal-title":"Eur. 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