Thompson, D., Williams, C., McGregor, S. J., Jones, S., Rengree, A., McArdle, F., & Jackson, M. J. (2001). Recovery from prolonged intermittent shuttle-running following post-exercise vitamin C supplementation. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 33(5), Supplement abstract 940.

This study evaluated whether post-exercise (three days) ingestion of the antioxidant, vitamin C, would attenuate muscle soreness and damage. Males (N = 16) were assigned to a Vitamin C or placebo supplementation group. Ss performed a 90-min intermittent shuttle-run test as the severe exercise.

Upper- and lower-body muscle soreness and markers of muscle damage (creatine kinase and myoglobin) increased similarly in both groups after exercise. The vitamin C group demonstrated rapid post-exercise increases in vitamin C that remained elevated for the three days. Post-exercise leg-flexor isometric torque remained decreased for three days in both groups.

Implication. Vitamin C supplementation does not affect muscle damage or soreness after severe exercise.

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