THE EFFECT OF TURMERIC AND ITS COMPOUND CURCUMIN ON MUSCLE RECOVERY IN ATHLETES: MINI REVIEW

Abstract

Dietary supplements are used to enrich the diet of athletes, and contribute to better adaptation on the part of athletes to their training, as well as quicker recovery from physical exercises. One such substance is turmeric, which has received widespread interest from medical, scientific and sports specialists due to its numerous benefits to human health and recovery. Curcumin is the most widely researched bioactive component of turmeric, but even curcumin-free turmeric is believed to be as effective as curcumin, and, therefore, this review concentrates on the effect of turmeric as a whole. Turmeric, also known as the ‘golden spice’, may help in the treatment of exercise-induced inflammation and muscle soreness, and, therefore, turmeric can enhance recovery in athletes. This current review focuses on the benefits of turmeric for athletes, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and muscle recovery activities exhibited by turmeric.