The Response of Some Indices of Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness to One Session of Eccentric Exercise Following Short-term Rosemary Supplementation in Inactive Men

Introduction: One of the main problems associated with physical activity is muscle pain and soreness. Various strategies have been proposed to prevent or improve it quickly, one of which is the use of plants containing anti-inflammatory compounds. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of 14-day supplementation of rosemary on the response in concentration of lactate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase, lymphocyte and neutrophil counts, muscle swelling and muscle pain in inactive men after one session of eccentric activity. Methods: In this semi-experimental study, 24 non-athlete male volunteers (mean age 26±3 years; mean height 180.58 ± 8.11 cm; mean weight 81.6±83.95 Kg and body mass index (BMI) 25.2±13.82 kg/m2) were selected and randomly divided into 3 groups: (1) placebo (2) 0.5 ml of rosemary supplementation, and (3) 0.25 ml of rosemary supplementation. After 14 days of supplementation, the subjects performed eccentric activity on the leg press apparatus. Changes in serum levels of lactate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase and white blood cell count, and the amount of muscle pain and muscle swelling during the six stages (before and after supplementation as well as 4, 24, 48 and 72 hours after activity) were measured. For statistical analysis of the findings, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Bonferroni's post hoc test were used in SPSS software (p≤0.05). Results: The results showed that rosemary supplementation significantly reduced the number of neutrophils in inactive men after 14 days of rosemary supplementation and 4 hours after eccentric contractions (p≤0.05), but had no significant effect on lymphocyte, creatine kinase, Lactate dehydrogenase and the amount of pain in inactive men (p≥0.05). Conclusion: It seems that 14 days of rosemary supplementation has no significant effect on the reduction of muscle damage caused by eccentric contractions. Keywords: Lactate Dehydrogenase, Creatine Kinase, Lymphocyte, Neutrophil, Rosemary, Exercis