{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,9]],"date-time":"2026-07-09T09:17:45Z","timestamp":1783588665389,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"14","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,9]],"date-time":"2026-07-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1783555200000},"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\/Objectives: Intensified training in adolescent soccer players increases oxidative stress, muscle damage, inflammation, and immune suppression, but direct comparisons of nutritional countermeasures are lacking. This randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial compared the effects of 14-day coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) versus taurine supplementation on haematological, oxidative, muscle damage, inflammatory, hormonal, and immune biomarkers in under-19 soccer players undergoing three repeated 90 min Soccer Match Simulation (SMS) sessions. Methods: Twenty-four male players (age 17.9 \u00b1 0.7 years) received placebo (n = 8), CoQ10 (300 mg\/day, n = 8), or taurine (4 g\/day plus 4 g pre-session, n = 8). Blood was collected at baseline (T0), post-first session (T1), post-third session (T2), and 24 h post-third session (T3). Biomarkers included creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), interleukins (IL-6, IL-10, TNF-\u03b1), cortisol, testosterone, CD4\/CD8 ratio, immunoglobulins (IgA, IgG), and plasma volume (Dill\u2013Costill). Data were analysed by two-way repeated-measures ANOVA. Results: CoQ10 was superior in reducing MDA (T2: 0.83 \u00b1 0.02 vs. 1.24 \u00b1 0.03 \u03bcmol\/L, p &lt; 0.001), LDH (434 \u00b1 9 vs. 684 \u00b1 12 U\/L, p &lt; 0.001), and cortisol (20.2 \u00b1 0.6 vs. 30.4 \u00b1 0.8 \u03bcg\/dL, p &lt; 0.001), and preserved the testosterone:cortisol ratio (24.5 \u00b1 1.1 vs. 13.6 \u00b1 1.0 \u00d7 10\u22123, p &lt; 0.001). CoQ10 was more effective than taurine in lowering IL-6 at T2 (3.5 \u00b1 0.2 vs. 3.9 \u00b1 0.2 pg\/mL, p = 0.03), whereas taurine was more effective in increasing IL-10 (7.5 \u00b1 0.2 vs. 5.7 \u00b1 0.2 pg\/mL, p = 0.005). Both supplements preserved CD4 counts (CoQ10: 790 \u00b1 13, taurine: 795 \u00b1 14 vs. placebo: 680 \u00b1 15 cells\/\u03bcL, p &lt; 0.01) and the CD4\/CD8 ratio, as well as IgA and IgG levels, with no between-supplement differences for immune outcomes (p &gt; 0.05). No adverse events occurred. Conclusions: For adolescent soccer players undergoing intensified training, CoQ10 may be preferred when the goal is reducing oxidative stress, muscle damage, and catabolic load; taurine may be preferred for targeted anti-inflammatory support (IL-10 elevation). Either supplement effectively attenuated changes in circulating immune biomarkers. These preliminary findings provide evidence-based guidance for targeted sports nutrition, pending confirmation in larger trials.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu18142229","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,9]],"date-time":"2026-07-09T08:50:56Z","timestamp":1783587056000},"page":"2229","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Practical Nutritional Strategies to Attenuate Physiological Stress in Adolescent Soccer Players: A Comparative Trial of CoQ10 and Taurine"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0858-849X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yousra","family":"Alsinani","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Curriculum and Instruction Department, College of Education, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat 123, Oman"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Majid","family":"Al-Busafi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Physical Education Department, College of Education, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat 123, Oman"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hossein","family":"Shirvani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Exercise Physiology Research Center, Life Style Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1435916471, Iran"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"1","article-title":"The physiology of soccer-with special reference to intense intermittent exercise","volume":"619","author":"Bangsbo","year":"1994","journal-title":"Acta Physiol. 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